Coming Off the Page
by Silver Inklett
Summary: Some people's lives are so woven together by fate and their loved ones that they can't help but be meant for each other. Some people will meet just once but their connection is immediate and intense. And then there's Levy, who got her face painted on a wall and goes off on a wild goose chase to find out who dun'it.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters, I'm just borrowing them._

* * *

There was a tiny cafe on Main Street that seemed to have the magical ability to be whatever you needed it to be. For stressed parents, it offered a quiet reprieve where they could sip on a relaxing cup of tea. For students, it was both a hang out and a study zone, where they could laugh and joke as cheerful employees would keep their mugs full. For business men and women, it was a place to get their morning coffee and a slice of Mira's famous coffee cake.

But right now, Fairy Tail was mostly a way for people to get out of the rain.

Levy watched as yet another person in a rain coat rushed in, trying to ignore the torrential downpour and the loud tapping of each droplet hitting the roof as she continued playing. Where normally the sounds of the cafe were a soft background track to her violin, now she could barely hear herself play over the din. But Levy kept playing, because if she stopped, that would mean no pay.

No pay meant no new books this month.

No new books this month meant that Lucy would inevitably read them before her and spoil the endings. For all of them.

Levy would not suffer through that again.

So she played louder, playing song after song as more people came and went. She was normally so focused on her music that she didn't really see who came in, but every now and again, someone would pique her interest. Maybe they looked like a character from a book she was reading, or they were too loud to ignore even from her little stage in the back.

And then there were people like _him_ who you just couldn't ignore. He didn't order a drink, just took up the whole doorway as he stomped the water off his boots then settled down at one of the corner tables. Levy watched him from the corner of her eye as he pulled out a sketchbook - wasn't expecting that, honestly, he didn't look like the sort - and started drawing.

The song she had been playing ended, and Levy let her shoulder drop, taking a deep breath. She had never played this long before, but the tips kept coming in, so she kept going.

"How's it going?" Mira asked as she came over, a smile on her face and a mug full of something warm and probably delicious in her hands. Levy smiled back, setting her violin carefully in its case before sitting on the edge of the stage.

"Going as well as it can," she replied with a shrug, accepting the mug from Mira and taking a long sip. Mmmmm, apple cider.

"Well, I think you sound great," the pretty waitress said. She rubbed a hand between Levy's shoulder blades, making the tense muscles loosen up and the younger woman coo thankfully. "Laxus said if you play for another hour, he'll pay you double."

Levy choked on her cider, looking at Mira with wide eyes. "Double?" she squeaked, trying to wipe her mouth without looking like a slob. She _swore _she heard someone laugh at her, and she simply huffed.

"Well since you've been playing for so much longer than you normally do, it'd only be fair. Does that sound good to you?" Levy nodded numbly, mind already racing through the calculations of how many books she could get with an extra helping of spending money. Maybe she could be the one to spoil Lucy for once!

Oh, revenge would be _so_ sweet.

Revenge also better be worth it, Levy thought after 45 more minutes of playing. Every muscle in her back was aching and the constant chatter in the cafe was giving her an awful headache; she was about two seconds away from shoving her bow up the ass of the next joker who requested "Wonderwall", and maybe heartbeats away from saying screw it and just packing up her violin and leaving with her normal pay.

But every time she reached that point, someone would come up and give her a smile and a generous tip before heading out. The rain had started to die down, and the crowd was slowly starting to dissipate as well. As the group of boys that had been bothering her earlier began to leave, Levy made sure to start playing Wonderwall, smirking at them as they turned around in shock.

The man that had been sitting in the corner with his sketchbook for the past few hours started laughing, a low rumble that Levy could hear even from the opposite side of the cafe, and she shot him a brief grin before starting her next song.

Soon enough, her time was up, and Levy gave a loud groan of relief as she let her shoulders drop. She looked towards a highly amused Mira behind the counter and mouthed "Never again" at her, pointing at the waitress with her bow. Mira simply giggled, holding up a plain white envelope promisingly.

Levy barely resisted breaking out in happy tears.

She started packing up all of her stuff, gently putting her violin in its case despite how seconds ago she was about ready to throw the damned thing against the wall. Levy was putting the iPod and speakers that she used for her backup tracks in her bag when she heard the tip jar behind her jingle. She turned around quickly, prepared to chase after whoever tried to steal her tips, when she saw Sketchbook Guy standing there, examining the front of the jar that she had decorated with doodles of flowers one lazy afternoon. His eyebrows, thick and dark and accented by two metal hoops on either side, raised in approval and Levy felt her lips tilt up in the corners.

As he dug around in his pocket for what Levy assumed to be some more spare change, she let herself give him a quick look over. It was almost scary how much room he took up, being at least a foot taller than her and built like a linebacker. Messy black hair that brushed his shoulders was covered by a dark gray beanie, which perfectly matched the metal piercings that lined the bridge of his nose and were dotted under his lower lip. He had strong, sharp features, probably Native American in descent, and Levy was a little concerned by how badly she wanted to trace his jawline with her tongue. The sleeves of his hoodie were pushed up to his elbows and there were identical tattoos running up both his forearms. They almost looked like scales, only there was an almost metallic feel to them, the shading and highlights worked in the black ink making Levy believe that if she were to reach out, his skin would be cool to the touch.

He finally looked up at her, his eyes a dark brown that looked almost red, and with a rakish grin, held a ten dollar bill up before dropping it in the jar. Levy's eyes widened almost comically, looking between Sketchbook Guy With The Sexy Jaw and the tip jar a few times, and he simply chuckled, nudging the jar towards her with one large hand. She picked it up gratefully, and after screwing the lid on firmly, smiled brightly at him.

He blinked owlishly a few times at her, probably not expecting such a sunny grin from someone who had been childishly sticking her tongue out at the backs of the patrons that had been chatting loudly on their cellphones not ten minutes ago. But after a few beats he grinned back, tipping his head in a silent goodbye before walking towards the door.

The whole exchange had taken less than a minute, but the second he was out the door, Mira was at her side, watching him through the window with wide eyes. "Who was _that?" _she asked, almost bouncing with excitement.

"I'm calling him Sketchbook Guy," Levy said dismissively, going back to putting up her stuff. The last time Mira had been that excited about Levy talking to a guy, it had resulted in two restraining orders and a very expensive French dessert being _thrown_ at said guy, courtesy of none other than Levy herself.

Mira Jane Dreyar was forbidden from delving into Levy's love life ever again.

"Normally your names for customers are longer," Mira teased, a demonic light in her normally calm blue eyes.

"Wouldn't tell you even if it was," Levy teased back, slinging her bag over her shoulder and doing the same with her violin case.

"Well, I think he was hot," the waitress said with a shrug, holding the envelope with Levy's pay up for the younger woman to take. "And he laughed at your 'Wonderwall' thing."

"You noticed that?" the blunette asked, looking sheepish. She took the envelope, resisting the urge to kiss it.

"We _all _noticed it. Laxus nearly pissed himself laughing in the back." Levy had to giggle at that, imagining the large manager trying to restrain his booming laugh so as to not disturb the patrons. "Well, anyways," Mira continued, "excellent work today! As always, you are welcome back any time, and not just to play. I do so enjoy our little chats."

Levy hopped carefully off the stage, only coming up to Mira's nose even with her two inch heels on. Being so beloved by gravity was tough. "You just say that because you like being able to gossip with someone besides Kinana," Levy teased.

"Guilty!" Mira sang, giving Levy a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before scurrying back to the register. The younger woman made sure to wave goodbye at Laxus before she left, ready to head home and take a long, well-deserved bath.

Well, maybe she'd hit the bookstore on the way home first.

.

.

.

"Shagotte Lechat's office, may I please take a message?"

"_Party in the fourth floor conference room, Macao's kid just made the varsity soccer team."_

"_Jet!" _Levy hissed, cupping a hand over her Bluetooth and leaning over her desk to look in her boss's office, making sure she hadn't noticed Levy's panic. Once she was reassured that Shagotte was still busy looking over some paperwork, the young woman spun her office chair around so that she was facing away from the large office. "What have I told you about calling on the official line?!" she snapped, her voice a low whisper.

"_To absolutely do it and do it frequently?"_ her friend said brightly, the shaky connection not dulling the amusement in his voice.

"Try 'to never do it because you'll get me fired'!" Levy groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You know I can't leave my desk!"

"_I'm sure will be fine without her secretary for thirty minutes. You're missing Macao's disastrous attempts to hook his phone up with the projector to show us Romeo's soccer videos." _There was the brief sound of the phone being shuffled to someone else and Jet's loud yell of "Hey!", making Levy roll her eyes.

"_They have cupcakes, Lev!" _Droy said enthusiastically, obviously speaking with his mouth full. She could hear Jet complaining about him getting food on his cell phone in the background and couldn't help but giggle at her friends' antics.

"Tell Macao I said congrats, but I have to get back to work," she said, smiling when they both groaned in disappointment. "Jet, save me a cupcake."

"_I will do my best, boss lady."_

"Levy, could you come here?" Shagotte called from her office, making her secretary jump slightly in her seat.

"Just a second, ma'am!" Levy called, hunching over further in her chair. "I gotta go," she whispered into her Bluetooth, ending the call before either Jet or Droy could respond. She quickly made her way into her boss's office, subtly smoothing out the wrinkles in her pencil skirt as she walked.

"Could you please make two extra copies of these contracts for me?" Shagotte asked without any preamble, tapping the papers on the edge of her desk with the eraser end of her pencil.

"Right away," Levy said cheerfully. Jet and Droy could say what they wanted about her being a work-a-holic, but the truth was she just really loved her job.

Levy was halfway out the office when her boss called out, "Jet and Droy again?" The blunette froze, looking over her shoulder slowly, only to find her boss smiling at her, clearly amused.

"Macao's son made the soccer team and they're celebrating," Levy admitted, smiling sheepishly. "I've tried to tell them not to use the land line-"

"It's fine, dear," Shagotte said with a dismissive wave, still smiling. "It's good that you have friends who care enough about you to want you to take breaks."

Levy snorted. "More like they need a babysitter to make sure they don't start another cupcake fight."

"There's cupcakes?"

Levy laughed at her boss's enthusiastic reply, the powerful CEO perking up in her chair like a cat. "I don't know if there'll be many left after Droy's through with them."

"Well then, you better hurry and make those copies so you can go snag a few," Shagotte said with a grin, making a shooing motion with her hand.

"Right away, ma'am," Levy said with a cheeky salute, making her boss laugh sunnily. Levy was just about to step out the door when she spun on her heel. "Oh, don't forget about your 1:30 meeting today," she said quickly.

Levy was then witness to her normally composed and calm boss cussing loudly.

"That's today?" she asked, standing from her large desk chair to reach for her planner, flipping it open and cussing again.

"Everything okay?" Levy asked, quickly making her way back into the room. It was an unspoken part of her job to keep the CEO of Extalia Publishing Company from losing her mind, and part of that was making sure that her schedule was well organized. Shagotte wouldn't fire her for a little slip up, but Levy would feel guilty for days afterwards.

"I totally forgot," Shagotte said, running her fingers through her short, pale blonde hair. "I'm supposed to take Charle to the dentist in an hour." Levy looked over at the clock on the wall, wincing when the display showed that it was already 12:20. "I've had that appointment scheduled for months! How could I have forgotten?"

"Can her dad take her to the dentist?" Levy asked cautiously, knowing that Shagotte's relationship with her ex-husband was strained.

"He's on a business trip in Europe," she huffed, flopping back into her chair. "Lil' can't take her either, he's at work." She ran her hands down her face, groaning softly.

Levy was silent for a few seconds before offering, "Well, I could take her." Shagotte peaked at her between her fingers, one eyebrow raising.

"Would you really?" she asked, failing to keep the relief from her voice. Levy nodded enthusiastically, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, of course! The people at her school already know me, so you'd just have to call ahead and let them know I'm coming to take her out early," she said. "I don't mind at all! Just let me make these copies and I'll head right out."

"Levy, you are a life saver," Shagotte said with a sigh of relief. "I'll write down the address for you and give you some money. I promised my little girl that we'd get ice cream after."

"Consider it done," Levy said, already heading towards the copy room. When she came back, extra copies already stapled together and labeled with sticky notes, Shagotte handed her two slips of paper and a twenty dollar bill.

"I have a signed note in there in case you have any trouble," she said, giving Levy's hand a quick squeeze. "Thank you so much, Levy."

"Like I said, I don't mind," the younger woman replied, giving her boss another bright grin before going back to her desk to grab her purse and jacket. As she headed out the door, looping her favorite cowl around her neck, Shagotte called out to her.

"And make sure to grab a cupcake on your way out!"

Levy just laughed.

.

.

.

The reception office of Magnolia Charter Elementary was warmly lit by skylights and wide windows, easily blocking out the chill of the fall weather outside. Levy took a moment to revel in the indoor heating, letting it warm her fingers and nose back up.

"Heyo Levy!" Levy opened her eyes, smiling brightly at the young woman behind the reception desk.

"Hey Lisanna," she replied warmly, approaching the desk. "Where's Max?"

"Out sick," the younger Strauss sibling said with a sympathetic wince. "I'm taking over today since all my fourth graders are out on a field trip." Levy nodded, pulling out Shagotte's note.

"I'm here to pick up Charle Lechat," she said, handing the note over. "Her mom overscheduled and I offered to take her to the dentist." Lisanna nodded, going into receptionist mode.

"Grade?"

"First."

"Alright, I'll call her down!" After she made the call – "Mr. Reedus, can you send Charle Lechat up? She's got a dentist appointment." – Levy and Lisanna made small talk, talking about anything from work to Levy's latest read. A few minutes later, the door swung open with a bang, enthusiastic footsteps rushing into the room.

"Mama, Mama!" Charle came to a halt once she saw Levy, who was waving bashfully at the six-year-old. "Oh," she said dryly, frowning. "It's you."

Levy looked at Lisanna, rolling her eyes, before making her way over to the disappointed little girl. "Your mom forgot about an important meeting today, so she asked me to come take care of you," she said, dropping into a crouch so she could be on Charle's eye level. "Is that okay with you?"

Charle pursed her lips, looking Levy up and down. "Eh," she said with a shrug, "you'll do." Lisanna snorted loudly behind her, and Levy shot her a Look over her shoulder.

"Then let's get going!" she said happily, holding her hand out once she stood back up. "Your mom gave me money for ice cream after you're done at the dentist."

"You have to wait an hour after the dentist to eat," Charle informed her knowingly, though she didn't hesitate to put her hand in Levy's. This wasn't the first time that her mother's secretary had to come and pick her up in her mother's place.

"I guess we'll just have to play at the park for an hour." Charle's eyes lit up.

"Sakura Park?"

"Like I would subject you to a lesser park," Levy teased, helping Charle into the back seat of her car and into the car seat Shagotte had given her. They were on their way in minutes, Charle commenting on every song that came on the radio during the drive to the dentist. Levy just smiled, more than used to Charle's harsh comments. Though Jet and Droy both dreaded encounters with their CEO's… _opinionated _daughter, Levy liked her a lot. Her frank views on the world were amusing coming from someone that barely came up to Levy's hip, and it helped that the little girl had stopped making rude comments about her blue hair a few weeks after their first encounter.

Once they got to the dentist's office, Charle was called in within minutes, and Levy relaxed in the waiting room, easily drowning out the sound of the children around her as she pulled her current book out of her purse. She had managed to read a good chunk – her best friend liked to say that the speed at which she devoured books was comparable only to a super computer – before Charle reemerged, her grin brighter than when she went in. After a quick talk with the nurse behind the desk, Levy gathered up the paperwork they had given her and led the little girl back out to the car, quickly shooting her boss a text to let her know that the trip to the dentist had gone well.

From there, it was a short drive to the largest park in the city, and both girls ran towards the playground, Levy kicking off her heels so she could scramble onto the empty playground with a giggling Charle. They played for an hour and a half, Levy gaining several new runs up her tights and Charle getting a few leafs caught in her long hair, which was the same shade of platinum blonde as her mother's. They both agreed to walk to the ice cream store instead of driving, since it was such a short distance.

As they walked hand in hand, they passed the skate park that dominated a good portion of the park. Several of the younger teenage boys whistled after Levy, but Charle turned to them and started loudly lecturing them on "Proper etiquette in the presence of ladies".

Honestly, that's what she said.

Levy dragged her away, laughing into her palm as the boys squirmed on top of their bikes or skateboards. One skater who had just come into view waved enthusiastically at the two. Levy waved back once she recognized the pink hair under the beanie he wore and the light freckles on his sun kissed skin.

"Who's that?" Charle asked curiously.

"My best friend's boyfriend," Levy replied easily, refocusing on the walk ahead of them.

"He looks old enough to know he should be wearing a helmet," the six-year-old said with a sniff, looking at the older male with a frown. Levy just laughed some more. "And whoever did _that_ should know better than to draw on the walls!"

Levy turned to look where Charle was pointing, blinking as she took in the mural sketched on the wall of the basketball court next to the skate park. It was large, whatever it was, though Levy couldn't make out the details from so far away.

"Huh," the blunette said, humming thoughtfully. Most of the graffiti in the park was small, just tags and little dick doodles – those got covered up immediately – but no real wall pieces had been done in a while. Natsu was probably excited about that. He was a bit of a graffiti nerd, and everything Levy knew about graffiti she had learned from listening to him ramble about it whenever she and Natsu ended up at Lucy's apartment at the same time.

"I hope it gets washed off soon," Charle said with a toss of her hair, and Levy looked down at her with a frown.

"Aw, don't say that! Someone probably worked really hard on that!" she said gently, squeezing the little girl's hand.

"It's still breaking the rules."

Levy sighed, smiling fondly. "Come on, let's go get you your ice cream, yeah?" Charle cheered happily, and the wall was soon forgotten by both of them.

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_do-fairys-have-tails . tumblr . com_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters, I'm just borrowing them._

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When her best friend opened the door, Levy held up the book she had just finished reading. "Zeref dies and Titania goes for the quiet childhood friend with the bad jaw instead of the powerful mage," she said, smirking.

"Gah, you whore!" Lucy cried out, pulling at her golden hair. "I was just getting to the climax!" Levy cackled as she ducked under her friend's arm and walked into her apartment, heading straight for the kitchen.

"Revenge is _mine!" _she cried victoriously, throwing both fists into the air. Lucy laughed, closing the door behind her.

"You only beat me because you read faster than most people can _breathe," _the blonde teased. Levy shrugged.

"I am burdened with glorious powers, Lu, I have to use them."

"Yeah, well burden yourself with starvation, because friends who spoil the endings of books don't get to eat all of their friend's tortilla chips."

Levy just laughed, grabbing the bag of chips anyways as she made her way back to the living room. She flopped onto the couch, groaning in relief as she kicked off her sneakers and dropped her purse on the ground. "Ugh, what a week," she whined, lifting her legs so Lucy could sit next to her before letting them drop across the other woman's lap. "So what's happening in the world of Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Well," Lucy started, stealing a few chips for herself, "my story made the front page of the magazine," she said, giddy. Levy lifted her head from where it was hanging over the arm of the couch, smiling brightly at her friend.

"Congrats! Erza must have really liked it!" she said happily, holding up her hand for a high five that Lucy easily returned.

"Yup, she said it was my best piece of work so far!" Lucy said, smiling proudly. "Oh, and guess who finally asked Juvia out?"

Levy groaned loudly, letting her head fall back. "If you say Gray, I'm going to shoot myself," she said, her voice taking on a tortured tone. Lucy had been telling her old roommate about the two travel journalists' ongoing drama for as long as she had been working at "Fiore Beat", and quite frankly, Levy had grown sick of it. She'd never met Juvia, but she felt bad for the other woman and her love for a man that hardly noticed her. Unrequited love sucked enough in books; she couldn't imagine having to live with it in real life.

"Gray."

The blunette groaned louder.

"And you know what the best part is?" Lucy continued, a wicked gleam in her eye. Levy peeked at her through one eye, quirking her eyebrow. "She said no!"

Levy shot up, propping herself up on her elbows. "She said no?"

"She said no!" Lucy confirmed, practically bouncing in her seat. "Turns out she gave up on the whole thing nearly two months ago after he shot her down at that Fourth of July party. Remember that?"

"When he loudly told her that he didn't love her in front of the whole office? You wouldn't shut up about it for weeks."

"Yeah, so she apparently did some soul searching and decided that she didn't need any more heartbreak in her life," Lucy continued, looking almost giddy. She and Gray were fairly close friends – he was the one who introduced her to Natsu after all – but Levy knew that his treatment of Juvia still annoyed her. "And you know what else?"

"I have a feeling you're about to tell me."

"She told him, in front of _everyone,_ that she's been seeing someone for the past month!" Lucy said, drumming out a rhythm on Levy's legs as she talked.

"No!"

"Yes!"

Levy cackled again. "That'a girl! So who's the lucky guy?" At her question, Lucy's grin turned evil.

"Not guy, _girl. _Juvia's dating _Cana." _Levy gasped, her eyes lighting up.

"The _wine critic_?!"

"_Yes!"_

Levy clapped her hands together, laughing gleefully. "Oh my god, what a gorgeous plot twist!"

"I know! Turns out that Cana had been trying to help Juvia get back into the dating scene and they ended up dating each other instead!" Both women laughed for a good five minutes, Levy practically falling off the couch at one point.

"Would it be mean to send Gray a thing of boxed wine with a note that says 'Sorry you couldn't pull your head out of your ass soon enough'?" the blunette asked, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. Lucy almost choked on her soda that she had been trying to take a sip of to sooth her dry throat, crying out when the soda went up her nose instead and making Levy fall back into hysterics. Once she had stopped the burning, Lucy shoved Levy roughly off her lap, grinning when the smaller woman squeaked as she hit the floor.

"Okay, okay, I'm done," Levy said, holding her hands up in surrender. She crawled back onto the couch, curling her legs up under her instead of letting them fall across her friend's lap this time. "You know what this reminds me of? That one book by Zekua Melon-"

"Oh my god, 'The Lovers of Crocus Hall'!?"

"Yeah!"

"Thank god, you see it too! Natsu thought I was crazy!" From there, their conversation drifted from topic to topic, the two interacting with an ease that only years of friendship could bring around.

They were debating if the original French of _Les Miserables_ was better than the translation – "You're the only one here who can read French, Lev!" – when Lucy's phone went off.

"~_We didn't start the fire! It was always burning since the world's been turning!~"_

"Tell Natsu I said hi," Levy said as Lucy answered the phone. The blunette got up to grab a water bottle from her friend's fridge in an attempt to give Lucy a little privacy. She could hear Lucy greet her boyfriend cheerfully from the living room, and listened with growing concern as Lucy tried to calm an apparently frantic Natsu down. She came back into the room just as Lucy put the phone on speaker phone.

"_-You'll never fucking believe this, I mean it's insane-!"_

"Natsu! Deep breaths," Lucy said firmly, making the other line go silent besides the loud background noise. "What's going on, what happened?"

"_Well I'm at the skate park-"_

"I thought you were going job hunting today!"

"_I already did that!"_

Lucy groaned. "Please tell me you didn't go in your skater clothes." Levy took a long sip of her water, trying not to laugh.

"'_Course I did, you said to be myself!"_

"I also said to look professional! You need to look like a guy who _wouldn't _set a warehouse on fire by accidentally setting off some fireworks inside. _Again." _This time Levy did laugh, covering her mouth when Lucy turned to glare at her.

"_Luce, you're missing the point! Look, is Levy there?"_

"Hi Natsu," Levy said as she sat next to Lucy, both focusing on the smartphone laying innocently on the coffee table.

"_Perfect. Tell me, do you do graffiti?" _The two women shared a look of confusion.

"Not unless she hasn't told me about it," Lucy responded.

"No, I don't," Levy added. Natsu made a noise of understanding.

"_Okay, so it was definitely someone _else _who put this painting of her here on the wall."_

The room was silent for a few heartbeats.

"_What!?" _Levy and Lucy cried out in unison, and they heard Natsu cuss on the other end of the line, probably pulling his phone away from his ear at their loud outburst.

"What do you mean, 'painting of me'?" Levy asked, picking the phone up and looking at it with wide eyes.

"_It's right here, clear as fuckin' day! Whoever did it finished it last night," _Natsu said.

"And you're sure it's her?"

"_Blue wavy hair and dimples? Pretty fuckin' sure." _ Lucy was already up, grabbing her coat and keys.

"Where are you?" Levy asked, trying not to let her voice shake.

"_The basketball court next to the skate park. Trust me, you can't miss it." _Lucy snatched the phone from Levy's numb hand, telling her boyfriend that they'd meet him there soon before hanging up.

They were in Lucy's car and halfway to the park before Levy spoke again. "Did he say the basketball court?" she asked, looking over at Lucy. The blonde was focused on her driving, shrieking obscenities at everyone else on the road. She had always been an angry driver, but today it was worse than normal.

"Yeah, why?"

"Charle and I passed by there earlier this week," Levy said, running her hands down her face. "Someone had sketched on the wall with chalk. I couldn't even tell what it was, I was so far away."

"Wait, judgmental toddler Charle?" Lucy asked, stopping at a stop light before turning to look at Levy.

"She's not judgmental-"

"She told me that my boobs were too big for my body and that my hair looked like it had been styled by her classmate that ate paste." Levy grimaced, remembering that encounter very well.

"Cut her some slack, she's six," she defended weakly, too in shock to make a proper argument.

"She's a fuckin' brat, that's what she is- holy shit." Levy shot up in her seat, looking with wide eyes as a large crowd came into view as they pulled into the skate park parking lot. They couldn't see much besides large globs of color over the heads of the assorted viewers, but Levy could make out distinctive blue curls on the left side of the wall.

That was her hair! That was _her goddamn hair!_

Levy was suddenly grateful for the large knitted beanie that Lucy had shoved on her head as they left the apartment.

They got out of the car together, Levy barely waiting until Lucy locked the doors until she tore off towards the gated court, slipping in through the open gate. Lucy wasn't far behind, and it only took them a few seconds to spot the waving hand towards the front that belonged to Natsu. He was using his scarf as a flag, and neither woman wasted any time making their way towards him. Most of the skaters parted like the Red Sea when the model-gorgeous Lucy strode forward like she owned the place – knowing her dad, she just might – and Levy trailed in her wake.

"Glad to see you made it," Natsu said, immediately opening his arms to Lucy, who accepted the hug easily.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"I called you guys a few minutes after I noticed this," he said, draping an arm around the blonde's waist. But Levy barely heard them, instead focused on the mural in front of her.

God fucking damn, that really was her.

The mural depicted a young woman holding a violin, long strains of music and color drifting behind her smiling face and twining together before they reached the edge of the wall. You could only see the woman from the armpit up, which was good considering that it didn't look like she was wearing a shirt. The whole thing was painted over what looked like a dripping curtain, the same dark red of the curtains at Fairy Tail.

Levy might have been able to write this all off as a strange coincidence, but the similarities were too great. The young woman on the wall had her _exact _hair style and color, minus the hair band she typically wore. Her lips were pulled back in the same sunny smile that Levy was known for, familiar dimples dotting either cheek, though her blush was replaced by a light dusting of gold paint that glowed in the late afternoon sun.

The woman's eyes were closed in bliss, thick eyelashes also dusted in gold, but Levy _knew _that if they were open, they would be the same shade of chocolate brown that she looked at every day in the mirror.

"Whoever did this knew what they were doing," Natsu said, breaking the spell that the mural had put Levy under. "I've never seen a wall piece in Magnolia like this." He whistled lowly. "It's gorgeous."

Lucy elbowed him in the gut, _hard_.

"Did I say gorgeous?" he wheezed. "I meant creepy."

Levy put her hands on the top of her head as if to pull herself back to Earth, staring at the mural with wide eyes. "Who did this?" she whispered, entire body trembling.

"Their tag is over there." Natsu gestured towards the right side of the wall, both he and Lucy watching in concern as Levy pushed her way through the crowd. It wasn't easy, seeing as nearly everyone in the crowd was taller than her, but she was determined, and it only took a few seconds to get to the right edge of the mural.

Levy stood, frozen in shock as she looked at the tag that was unlike anything she had seen before. A thin dragon with grey scales curled around itself, clutching its tail with its maw thrown open in a roar that Levy swore she could hear echoing in the back of her head. In the middle of the oval that the intricate dragon formed with its body was a single word, rendered in surprisingly simple block letters.

_Kurogane._

.

.

.

When Levy walked into work on Monday morning, Shagotte took one look at her before dragging her into her office and shutting the door, directing Levy to the plush couch that was pushed against one wall.

"Sit," she ordered, and Levy quickly sat down, too tired to question what her boss was doing. A few moments later Shagotte returned with a cup of coffee, and at any other time, Levy would have laughed at the irony.

"Drink," Shagotte directed firmly, pushing the coffee towards the younger woman.

"Ms. Shagotte, I really don't-"

"_Drink," _she said again, and this time Levy complied, taking a quick sip of the hot liquid. It was too sweet for her tastes - Levy liked her coffee BLACK, and had constantly horrified Lucy during college by drinking coffee straight from the pot during late night study sessions - but it was still warm, soothing, and gloriously caffeinated. She barely stopped herself from moaning softly in delight.

"Now," Shagotte said, sitting on the coffee table so that she faced her secretary, "tell me what's wrong."

Levy looked up at her, not removing her lips from the edge of the coffee mug. "What do you mean?" she asked, and her boss simply held up a compact mirror she had pulled from her inner jacket pocket.

Aw geeze, was that really how she looked right now? Yikes, no wonder Shagotte was worried.

"Sorry, I just had a rough morning," Levy said bashfully, setting the mug down to try and straighten out the tangled curls that sat haphazardly on her head.

Shagotte frowned in concern. "You never have rough mornings," she said softly.

"You clearly have not seen pictures of my college years."

"Levy, I'm being serious." Levy knew that tone, that was her Mom tone. Shagotte rarely used her Mom tone on her. "What's wrong, dear?"

After a few moments, Levy groaned, falling over onto the couch until her face was buried in the cushions. "Go look up 'Magnolia's Blue Lady'," she said, her voice muffled by the soft leather. But despite the poorly spoken instructions, Levy could still hear her boss get up and go to her computer, waking the screen up with a flick of the mouse.

A minute passed, and then Levy heard her boss gasp. "Oh my god," she said softly, and Levy groaned in response. "Who did this?" Shagotte asked, and Levy wanted to cry when she heard the printer go off.

"That's the thing, _I don't know," _Levy said, rolling onto her back. "All I know is that they must have seen me at Fairy Tail and that they signed it with 'Kurogane'." Levy spat the name out like it dirtied her tongue, her face scrunching up. Shagotte pulled the finished page from the printer, looking it over with a critical eye.

"... You know, it's actually not bad-"

"_Please don't." _Shagotte shrugged, setting the paper on her desk before coming back to the couch. She sat carefully in the dip made by Levy's waist, gently running one hand over her scrunchy curls. Had this been any other boss that Levy had had over the years, the action would have been less soothing and more "Oh god don't touch me", but Levy had been working for Shagotte for nearly three years now, and they were close friends.

"You'll get through this, dear," Shagotte said gently. "Do you want to call the police perhaps?"

"Already did," Levy groaned. "They said it's a typical vandalism case and that they're going to do their best to look into it, but that's all."

"After you told them the painting was of you?"

The blunette quirked an eyebrow. "Would you want to tell the Magnolia City Police that you're the one whose face is on a 12 foot tall wall?"

Shagotte shrugged. "Fair enough. But promise me that you'll call them again if you notice anyone suspicious." At Levy's look, she simply shrugged again. "Better safe than sorry. Besides, like you said, this person _did _paint you on a very large wall. They're either in love with you or stalking you."

"Thank you, Shagotte, for those warm words of encouragement."

"I do try my best." Shagotte stood, holding out her hands to help Levy sit up. "Now, go home. I'm giving you the day off to get some rest." Levy looked up at her boss with wide eyes, her mouth falling open.

"What, no I couldn't-" she started, only to get cut off by a wave of the older woman's hand.

"That's an order," Shagotte said firmly. "You're going home, drinking some tea or vodka or whatever calms you down, and are going to spend the whole day relaxing, do you understand me?" Levy nodded meekly, and Shagotte grinned. "Good! Now, go gather up your stuff!"

"Are you sure you'll be okay without me?" the blunette asked as she was gently pushed out of the office, pulling on the jacket that she had just taken off ten minutes ago. "I mean, you've got a full day-"

"Levy, I survived for five years before you got here," Shagotte said, "I think I can make it through the rest of the day. Go, relax."

Levy scooped up her purse, slinging it over her shoulder slowly. "Okay then," she said, looking at a serenely smiling Shagotte. "I'm leaving," Levy said slowly, as if waiting for her boss to yell "PSYCH!" and yank her back. But Shagotte just waved. "I'm walking out the door," Levy continued, taking slow backward steps. "Out… the… do-"

"_Good bye, _Levy."

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" Levy almost tripped over herself on the way to the elevator, half relieved/half angered at the fact that she was being sent home.

On one hand, she really hadn't gotten any sleep last night. Levy had tossed and turned for hours until she could no longer stand the feeling of her blankets wrapping around her like a cage and raced out of bed. She spent the rest of the night on the couch, all the lights on along with the TV as she read, flashes of the mural haunting the moments when her tired eyes slipped closed.

When she did try to sleep, she found herself trapped in the mural, watching the world go on without her, while a shadowy figure slowly painted over her. Needless to say, Levy would rather deal with exhaustion than have to have that dream again.

But on the other hand, work was normal. Work was a welcome distraction to the thoughts spinning through her head at thousands of miles per hour. Work was getting away from her reflection, which still made her tremble.

Someone had painted her _face _on a _wall. _

The elevator doors _ding_ed open and Levy quickly strode through the lower offices, hoping to quickly make her way to the parking garage and her car, keeping her head down.

"Hey, Lev!"

_Cock shoving mother fucking-_

"Hi Jet, hello Droy," Levy sighed, turning and giving her two friends a small smile. They had been walking calmly towards her, wide smiles on both of their faces, but the second she turned around, concern lit up both of their eyes and they were by her side in a heartbeat.

"Jesus Christ, Levy," Jet said lowly, looking her up and down with a grimace, "what happened?"

"Did someone die?" Droy gasped, and Levy rolled her eyes.

"Oh come off it, I don't look that bad," she said softly, gently edging between them and continuing towards the door. Levy heard her two friends calling back to Macao to cover for them before they were back at her side, each with one arm wrapped through one of hers. She felt like Dorothy. "Guys!" she snapped, glaring at them both. "I'm fine, really!"

"No you aren't, and we are here to help!" Jet said, his voice sounding very official. They both looked like bodyguards, even though Jet was maybe as skinny as Levy herself was and Droy was three times both of their sizes.

"You need a chocolate muffin and some of the coffee from that cafe downstairs," Droy said sagely, and Levy had to admit that some more coffee and a muffin sounded lovely. "We're buying."

"You guys really don't have to-"

"We insist!"

Was anyone going to let her finish a sentence today!?

As she let them lead her, Levy got back to thinking about the mural. It haunted her sleep and her waking hours, and the fear of not knowing was costing her more than sleep.

There it was. She was scared of not knowing. Not knowing who, not knowing _why. _Maybe if she figured out who Kurogane was…

"Hey guys?" Levy started slowly, a small smile growing on her lips. "Do you think after we get the muffins, we can hit up Sakura Park?" Both men turned and gave her questioning looks, and she widened her eyes, her lower lip pouting out. "There's something I need your help with."

Her eyes started to water. "Please?"

By the time the "please" passed her lips, Jet had already raced off to get the muffins and coffee while Droy steered her towards her car, both helpless against her Puppy Eyes.

Ah, some things never change.

.

.

.

The bell above the door to the art shop rang as Levy made her way inside, Jet and Droy on either side of her. The afternoon sun shone through the windows, lighting up the various displays and making all of the colors pop brightly. Levy nearly had to squint, the too-vivid colors making the headache pounding against her temples throb.

It had been a long afternoon of interrogating skaters and stoners, and that was _without _factoring in Jet and Droy. She loved them both dearly, they had been her friends since the first summer she interned at Extalia, but god, she wanted to punch them sometimes! Not only had they spent the first 20 minutes gaping at the mural, neither able to get more than a few strangled syllables out, but they had then proceeded to spend two hours trying to intimidate answers out of everyone they approached.

They couldn't scare a pair of bunny slippers.

Levy had to stop several fights from breaking out - fights they wouldn't have won, by the way - and then apologize to the angry skaters. She had to send Jet and Droy to go sit in the car after they cornered a middle-school aged boy, demanding to know who painted the mural.

They were adults for god's sake, they paid bills!

Once they were sulking by her car, Levy had a lot more luck. Most people recognized her from the mural and were more than willing to talk to her. One young man had been extremely helpful, and his words echoed in her head as she strode into the art shop.

"_Yeah, I went over to check it out while it was still in progress!" the skater said with a loopy grin, grabbing his backpack and rummaging through it as he kept talking. "The dude who painted it left behind one of his spray cans, and I picked it up hoping to return it. Here," he pulled out a long black can, the lid a dark navy blue, and tossed it to Levy. "You can have it, if you want it." Levy thanked the young man profusely before running back over to the car._

After a quick drive to the closest place with free wifi, Jet and Droy both made up for their earlier gaffs by doing what they did best; search the internet (they were both some of the top employees in the research department). Within ten minutes, they had a list of all of the art stores in the city that sold that particular brand and color of spray paint, and they were off again.

They had already visited most of the shops, and this was the last on their list. If they didn't find anything out here, then it was pretty likely that Kurogane had ordered the paint online and that this was a dead end.

Levy gripped the can in her hand tighter.

"Hello and welcome to The Palette," an older woman, maybe in her late fourties, said from behind the counter, brushing a few long strands of dark blue hair behind her ear. Her clothes were splashed with paint, though they all looked like old stains. "How may I help you three?"

Jet and Droy both opened their mouths, but Levy silenced them with a glare. "Let me, please," she said softly, before turning and heading towards the woman behind the counter with a smile.

"May I help you?" the woman said, this time an amused lilt to her accented voice. French-Canadian, maybe?

"I certainly hope so, it's been a long day," Levy admitted, putting the can of paint on the counter. "Do you know if you sell this particular spray paint?" The woman, her name tag read "Voeda", picked up the can and inspected it with a critical eye.

"It's still half full," Voeda said, one eyebrow quirking. Levy sighed softly, leaning her elbows on the counter.

"Someone left that behind at a mural that was painted in Sakura Park, and we would _really _like to know who. Do you have any records of this stuff or something?" Levy looked at the woman imploringly, biting nervously on her lower lip.

Voeda looked at the can for a few more seconds, before glancing at Levy, Jet and Droy. She pursed her lips before shaking her head, setting the can back down on the counter. "Sorry, can't help you," she said calmly. "We do sell that paint, but I'm afraid our records aren't that good."

Levy picked up the can with a shaking hand, nodding as she pulled it close to her chest as if to use it to replace the heart that had just dropped into her stomach. "I understand," she said, trying to ignore the hitch in her voice. "Thank you, and I apologize for wasting your time." Voeda gave her one last apologetic look before Levy turned around, heading back towards the door and the waiting arms of two of her best friends.

"Levy," Jet said softly, and Levy shook her head, leaning into Droy's chest.

"Just take me home," she whispered, and they gently led her out to the car, both saying polite goodbyes to Voeda as the shop doors closed.

The ride to Levy's apartment was silent; neither Jet nor Droy was sure of what to say and Levy just silently watched the scenery fly by, the clicking of the spray can bouncing around loudly in her ears. When they pulled up to her building, Jet and Droy both turned around in the front seat to smile nervously at the silent woman.

"We'll figure this out Lev," Jet reassured softly, reaching his hand back towards her. Levy took it in her own, smiling softly as his thumb rubbed along her knuckles.

"Go get some rest," Droy continued, patting her knee. "We'll bring your car over from the office and leave it here for you, okay?"

"Thanks guys," Levy said, looking up at them through messy blue bangs and grinning sheepishly. "You're the best, really. You didn't have to come with me today."

"That's what friends do," they said together, shrugging. Levy just grinned wider, dropping her car keys in Droy's waiting hand and giving them both a kiss on the cheek before crawling out of the car.

"We'll text you when we get your car here," Jet said through his open window, and she nodded, giving them one last smile before they drove off. Once they were gone, she trudged up the stairs to her apartment, bumping the door open with her hip once she had unlocked it.

Scout chirped at her from her cage, Levy's pet bluebird hopping around excitedly as the blunette hung up her purse. Levy gave the bird a small smile, tiredly filling up her food bowl before heading towards her room. She practically melted onto her bed, kicking off her heels and wiggling out of her pencil skirt and blazer, leaving her spread out on the bed in nothing but her shirt and underwear.

She curled up on her side, pulling the covers over herself before helplessly falling into a deep sleep, too exhausted to dream and too hopeless to even think about doing anything else that day.

* * *

_do-fairys-have-tails . tumblr . com_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters, I'm just borrowing them._

* * *

"_Okay so I've been trolling around on the internet, trying to find some information on our mystery artist, yeah? And it's been taking a while; I mean you don't even know how many times I got redirected to some stupid steel manufacturing site-"_

"Lu," Levy groaned, slumped against her kitchen counter. "I _just _woke up, thanks to your phone call might I add. Will you do me one favor and just, talk slower?" She scratched at her hip bone distractedly, watching the coffee machine on her counter putter away. The blunette barely had time to pull on a pair of sweatpants after picking up the phone that morning before Lucy had started talking at a hundred miles an hour. Levy could hear the sounds of Lucy's coworkers in the background, and was suddenly very glad that her job did not require her to work on Saturdays.

"_Fine, I'll get straight to the point then," _Lucy said with a huff, and Levy rolled her eyes. "_I found Kurogane." _

_That _woke her up, making the young woman stand up straight in so sharp a motion that it sent Scout into panicked titters across the room. "What!?" Levy asked, her voice cracking.

"_Well, I didn't _find him _find him, but I found his Facebook page!" _Levy's excited smile immediately lessened, the young woman slumping back against her counter.

"It's better than nothing, I guess," she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Alright, so who is this guy?"

"_It doesn't exactly say, it's really just a gallery of his work. But-"_

"I'm hearing a lot of 'buts', Lu. It is way too early for 'buts'."

"_It's noon."_

"I had a long week."

Levy could practically hear Lucy roll her eyes over the line, but before she could start talking again, someone else interrupted. It was then that Levy realized that Lucy had put her on speakerphone in order to talk and research at the same time, and her cheeks flushed as she hoped that no one had been around to hear her earlier faceplant as she tried to roll out of bed.

_"Lucy, did you finish up the horoscopes- oh! What's this?"_

_"Oh, hi Juvia. Yeah, I just sent them off to Erza. And this? This is a manhunt." _Levy snorted, smiling fondly as she poured herself some coffee. It had been nearly a whole week since they discovered the mural, and Lucy was still as mad as she had been when they first saw it.

It was good to have a friend who could be righteously furious _for _you.

"_Huh. Is there some way I could help?" _

"Unless you know how to find a graffiti artist named Kurogane, I'm afraid not," Levy said after she took a long sip of coffee. She couldn't help but giggle when Juvia let out a loud squeak, probably unaware that there had been another person listening in on their conversation.

"_I'm afraid I don't recognize that name!" _the startled journalist said quickly, sounding flustered. "_If you need anything else, I will be in my office." _ There were a few beats before Lucy hummed thoughtfully, Juvia's footsteps fading away.

"_That was weird," _she said slowly.

"What was?"

"_Nothing, it's probably not important. Anyways! Kurogane!"_

"Yes, tell me more," Levy said, picking up her phone as she headed into the living room, making kissy faces at Scout as she passed.

"_For one, I can't tell if Kurogane's a girl or boy." _

Levy paused, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"_Well, I had assumed that Kurogane was a guy, because a guy WOULD think it's a compliment to put a girl he's never spoken to on a wall, but the way they talk on their page…"_

"What," Levy joked, "do they use girl grammar?"

"_Yeah yeah, mock the English major and her understanding of how the human language works," _Lucy griped, and Levy could practically hear her pout over the line. "_Just trust me, whoever's running this page is female."_

"You can't tell a person's gender by the way they type, Lucy," Levy said as she sat on the couch, bringing her knees to her chest. "Do we need to have the 'Gender is fluid and strange and beautiful' talk again?"

Lucy, who had come from an extremely conservative home and an all-girl's catholic school to go to the small liberal arts college where she had met Levy, still had a lot to learn about how the world worked. Levy still remembered when Lucy came into the dorm, freaking out because she thought her female partner, Eclair Phoenix, in her science class was cute, and Levy had to explain that yes, it was okay to like other girls. Lucy had ended up dating her for two years until Eclair had died from a terminal illness right before graduation.

Lucy hadn't dated again until she met Natsu a year ago, and both she and Levy knew she had found someone worthwhile when Natsu had gotten Lucy a picture frame with two pictures side by side for her birthday; one of Lucy and Eclair and one of Lucy and Natsu. He even visited Eclair's grave with Lucy, bringing flowers and thanking Eclair for helping to bring him and Lucy together.

Levy felt a small pang of jealousy in the pit of her gut at the thought of Lucy and Natsu, so happy and obviously in love. Levy hadn't been on a date since The Disastrous Blind Date to End All Blind Dates - yes all the capitalizations were needed, she didn't have a problem - and that had been nearly two years ago.

Somedays, the realization that Levy was a 24-year-old woman living on her own with only a bird for companionship hit her harder than others.

These also tended to be the days when she remembered that she _still _couldn't buy alcohol without being carded.

"_Levy, are you even listening to me?" _Lucy said exasperatedly, making the blunette snap back into reality.

"Sorry," she sighed, rubbing her face, "I'm not quite awake yet."

"_Well, I should probably get back to work anyways, at least before Erza realizes that I'm not working," _the blonde mused, and Levy hummed thoughtfully. "_I'll call you back if I find out anything else."_

"A text would work just as well, you know," Levy teased, and Lucy just blew a raspberry into the phone. "Go back to work, you goob, before you get fired," she said between giggles.

Their goodbyes were quick, and after Levy took a few minutes to enjoy her coffee, she finally started her day. After filling her bathroom sink with lukewarm water, she carefully brought Scout out of her cage, letting the bluebird spread her wings a bit before placing her in the impromptu-bath. Scout chirped happily, and Levy smiled as her pet cuddled into her hand before swimming around.

Levy quickly hopped into the shower, trying to wash away the stress from the past week. The knots in her neck were like rocks, and even after trying to rub them out until the hot water ran cold, they were still there. When she stepped out of the shower, Levy immediately grabbed a towel from her towel warmer - without a doubt the best gift she had ever gotten from her family - and wrapped herself up in the warmth, practically purring.

She also grabbed the fluffy hand towel she had put on the warmer, holding it out for Scout to hop into. The little bluebird immediately curled into the warm towel, cooing happily, and Levy carried her into her bedroom to relax on the bed while she changed into some lounge clothes. She rubbed her hair dry, and as soon as the towel was around her shoulders and her curls were free, Scout flitted up to nest in her hair.

"Butt," Levy grumbled good-naturedly, blowing some of her bangs up for Scout to snap at. With her bird perched happily in her hair, Levy got to work cleaning her apartment, making sure to get all the stuff she had neglected over the week.

As she danced around her apartment to her favorite playlists, sweeping and cleaning, for the first time in over a week, she completely forgot about Kurogane.

It felt like she could breathe again.

It wasn't until later that night, after Scout had been put back in her now clean cage and Levy had settled down with her book for the night, that she even realized that Lucy never did text her back. She was about to reach for her phone to send a message to her friend when she spotted her tip jar out of the corner of her eye.

Levy froze, staring at the jar as her heart beat loudly against her chest. She hadn't touched her violin all week, unable to even look at the instrument without her hands starting to shake terribly. She'd even shoved the tip jar onto her windowsill into the farthest corner, behind the curtain and out of sight, just so she wouldn't have to look at it anymore. Anything that was a reminder of Fairy Tail made her want to cry.

What had once been her safe haven, a place where she was never afraid to truly be herself and just relax, had turned into the setting of her nightmares thanks to one stupid painting.

Standing slowly, Levy walked over to the tip jar and picked it up, using her fingertip to trace the flowers she had so painstakingly drawn. Her hands were shaking ever so slightly, and she closed her eyes with a sharp inhale, tightening her grip. Whoever this Kurogane was, they had not only invaded her privacy when they had painted her face up on that wall, but they had taken her life from her. She couldn't do what she loved without wanting to break down crying because of them. She didn't feel safe out in public because what if someone recognized her from the painting? If Shagotte hadn't been so understanding through this whole thing, she could have even lost her job!

Setting the tip jar down with a bang loud enough to send Scout into panicked titters, Levy leaned against the windowsill and just breathed, trying to smother the growing rage that was bubbling in her gut. She wanted her life back. She wanted everything back that Kurogane had taken from her from that first stroke of paint. Opening her eyes, the bluenette looked out on the cityscape with a determined glare.

Starting today, she was taking back what was hers.

Breathing in deeply, she pushed away from the windowsill and walked to her room, her every movement filled with new purpose. Levy ignored the book she had left on the couch and the fact that it was quickly approaching 9 o'clock at night, already thinking of which songs she was going to practice tonight.

After all, she hadn't touched her violin in a week, and she didn't want to get rusty.

.

.

.

"Levyyyyyyyyyyy, I'm booooooooored!"

Levy smiled at the 6-year-old that was draped across her lap, one little arm thrown over her eyes as she groaned. "There's a playground right over there, Charle," she said, pointing towards the playground. But Charle just groaned louder.

"When's Wendy supposed to be here?" she asked, lifting her arm. Levy hummed thoughtfully, pulling out her phone and checking the time.

"Just a few more minutes," Levy reassured, and Charle instantly perked up, smiling brightly and rambling on about her plans for the rest of the afternoon with who was, Levy was pretty sure, the little girl's favorite person on the face of the planet.

Levy had never personally met Charle's beloved babysitter, a teenager by the name of Wendy, but she had heard nothing but great things from both Shagotte and Charle. So when Shagotte had carefully asked Levy if she could wait with Charle for Wendy to pick her up, she had agreed easily.

"_Normally Wendy picks her up after school," Shagotte said, pulling on her fingers like she did when she was nervous. "But she has a doctor's appointment today and I can't leave to go pick Charle up, and neither can Lil'."_

"_Yeah, I can do it no problem," Levy said with a grin._

"_The only problem is that Wendy would have to pick her up from Sakura Park," Shagotte explained. "And I totally understand if you don't want to-"_

"_It's fine, really!"_

And it was. Levy had to sit with her back to the basketball court, but she was doing okay. It was Friday, and throughout the week Levy had been determined to live her life as if there wasn't a large painting of her in the middle of the city. And so far, she'd succeeded. Her sleep schedule was back to normal with only the occasional nightmare, she was back to being her cheerful, optimistic self, and when Mira had called on Wednesday asking if they could expect to see her back in on Saturday, Levy's hands hadn't even trembled.

She was almost back to normal, and she was exceedingly proud of herself.

Lucy had been her number one supporter of the "Getting Her Life Back" plan, and had been at Levy's apartment nearly every night, either dragging her out to poetry readings or just out for long walks. Shagotte had kept her busy, but not so busy that Levy couldn't run down to visit Jet and Droy when she needed a moment. Her door had also been open all week, a subtle invitation that Levy wanted to hug her for.

Jet and Droy had also been great, both more than happy to help in any way they could. Droy would bring her and Shagotte coffees and pastries in the morning, Jet offering to run out and get them both lunch every afternoon. They even shirked off their own jobs in order to help Levy with hers until she sat them down halfway through Monday and gently told them to get their asses to work.

You know, in the most loving way possible.

"I'm boooooooooooooored!"

And Charle helped by just being Charle.

"She'll be here soon, just relax," Levy cooed, patting the young girl's head and continuing to pet her hair when Charle arched into her touch happily. She went back to her book, giggling when Charle threw her arms over the pages in a silent bid for attention.

"But Levyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy-"

"Charle!"

The young girl snapped up so fast Levy nearly got smacked in the face by an overeager 6-year-old, and she was still blinking dazedly while Charle scrambled off her lap and into the arms of a short teenager standing on the opposite side of the playground. Levy smiled as she watched the two hug each other, barely able to hear Charle start babbling at her babysitter from so far away, and packed up her book before making her way over to meet her.

"-and she kept telling me 'She'll be here soon just calm down' but I couldn't be calm because you promised that we could go to your house and hang out with Lily and watch Princess and the Frog and I've been waiting _all day-"_

"Okay, okay!" the young woman said with a laugh, ruffling Charle's hair. "We'll go see Lily! Just gimme a few seconds, okay?"

"But Wendyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

"What a charmer," Levy joked, making Wendy laugh. She stood up, brushing a few dreads out of her face before turning to greet Levy. As soon as Wendy looked at her, she froze, her mouth falling open. Levy's eyebrow quirked up, confused by her reaction. Sometimes people would react that way when they first saw her hair - a bright aqua that Levy _swore _was natural - but Wendy's hair was only a few shades darker than her own, so it couldn't be that.

"So!" she said brightly, her smile awkward. "You must be Charle's babysitter! I'm Levy McGarden, I'm her mom's personal assistant." She held her hand out, and Wendy blinked owlishly a few times before _beaming _at her, the young woman's smile nearly taking up her entire face.

"It's great to meet you, Levy McGarden!" she said giddily, shaking Levy's hand with a vigor that confused her just as much as Wendy's shocked reaction had. "I'm Wendy Marvell-Redfox, Charle's babysitter!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Levy said politely, taking her hand back as soon as she could. Wendy was very… enthusiastic, which on any other day Levy would have been amused by, but she still wasn't quite at a hundred percent. "So I heard you had a doctor's appointment today? How did that go?"

"Just about as well as could be expected," Wendy replied with a shrug, still smiling brightly. "My brother's just happy that he doesn't have to pay a bunch of ridiculous medical costs."

"Your brother's dumb," Charle piped in, making Levy snort and Wendy sigh.

"I sure hope you're not talking about Lily, young lady," Wendy said with a smirk, and Charle went pale before going off on a rant about how great Lily was.

"You're Lily's younger sister?" Levy asked curiously. She'd never personally met Shagotte's long time boyfriend, but Shagotte had a picture of Charle, Lily, and herself on her desk that Levy saw nearly every time she went in her office. Wendy was much smaller than her built-like-a-barn older brother, though Levy could understand how that would be, seeing as she had two brothers of her own that towered over her as well.

"Not technically," Wendy admitted. "But he's always been around since I was a little kid. It's easier to call him my brother, and also more amusing when people see my whole family together and get _really confused."_

"How so?" Levy asked, sitting on the nearest bench. Wendy joined her, now much more calm than she had been a few minutes ago. Charle had run off to play on the playground while the two bluenettes talked, obviously bored by their conversation.

"Well Lily's black, Gajeel and I are bi-racial, and Juvia is Korean," she explained. "Gajeel and I technically are cousins, but his parents raised me, and Lily and Juvia have always been around, so we're basically one weird adoptive family. It's amusing to watch people meet us all together and try to figure out how we work."

"Wait, your sister doesn't happen to work at Fiore Beat, does she?"

"Yeah, why?"

"My friend Lucy works there!" Levy said excitedly. "She knows your sister!"

"Wait, you're friends with Lucy?" Wendy asked, also sounding excited.

"Yeah, we were roommates back in college."

"No way! She's dating my cousin!" Wendy was positively bouncing at this point, her brown eyes sparkling. Levy laughed, the sound carefree and relaxed.

"Wow, how have we not already met?" she asked teasingly, and Wendy shook her head in disbelief.

"I have no clue," she said, and they shared another laugh. "Um, I hate to ask since you've probably heard this a thousand times," Wendy started, only to be cut off by Levy's wry response.

"Yes, my hair is naturally blue," she said, and Wendy smiled.

"Not what I was gonna ask, but good to know," she said. "Is that you in that mural over there?" she asked, pointing towards the basketball court, and Levy's face fell. Wendy was clearly not expecting the older woman to groan and drop her head into her hands, running her fingers through her bangs.

"Yeah, it is," she said, her response muffled by her hands. After a few moments she felt a small hand pat her back, and peeked through her fingers to see Wendy looking at her with concern. Sighing, Levy rubbed her face with her hand before sitting up and shooting Wendy a wry smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. It's just that I don't know who painted that mural, and it's been pretty scary."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," Wendy said sincerely, and Levy's smile was a bit more genuine.

"It's fine. I've been trying to be better about it," she explained. "Whoever this Kurogane is, I'm not gonna let him take my life from me," Levy said firmly, and Wendy looked at her with wide eyes. She opened her mouth to say something else when Charle came over, hopping up onto her lap and whining about wanting to go see Lily. "You should probably get going," Levy said with a small smile, poking Charle's cheek gently when the little girl turned to look at her.

"Yeah, we probably should," Wendy said, her tone almost a complete 180 from how excited she had been earlier. Levy wanted to apologize for making her mood plummet, but then Wendy smiled softly at her, gently nudging Charle off her lap so she could stand up. "Say goodbye to Levy, Charle!"

Levy had been expecting Charle to brush Levy off in favor of going to see her movie faster, but instead the little girl hugged Levy's legs tightly, smiling brightly up at the older woman. "Bye Levy!" Charle said happily, and Levy had to recover from her shock before she hugged her back.

"Bye Charle, you be good, okay?" Levy said, pulling back to smile at the little girl. Charle nodded, giving her one last gap-toothed smile before running off towards the parking lot, Wendy trailing after her. Levy watched the two leave with a soft smile, waiting until they had both gotten into a car and driven out before heading back to her own car. Lucy was off on a date with Natsu tonight, so that meant no interruptions to go out on another walk around the neighborhood or to a random bookshop of Lucy's pickings.

Levy was looking forward to having herself a nice, quiet dinner, before practicing on her violin for the next morning. It would be her first day back at Fairy Tail since the mural went up, and though she had reassured Mira that she would be fine - Levy didn't want to know where Mira had heard about the mural from, but she was pretty sure spies were involved - she was starting to wonder how she'd react to being there. Levy took a deep breath, centering herself before she could start to fret about the next day.

She would not let Kurogane take her life from her.

Levy paused as she started to get into her car, looking at the mural. The sun was hitting it in such a way that the gold paint was shimmering across her eyelashes and cheeks. Levy suddenly imagined a thick black line of paint covering her eyes in the mural, like a censor bar, and she shook the image out of her head. She climbed into her car, driving quickly away, but the image stuck with her through the whole evening.

* * *

_do-fairys-have-tails . tumblr . com_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters, I'm just borrowing them._

* * *

Levy walked into the cafe, violin case slung over her back, and took a steadying breath. She had arrived just before the after-work rush, like always, and Fairy Tail was fairly empty. The scent of coffee and baked goods was thick in the air, and Levy hadn't realized how much she'd missed that scent until it was filling up her lungs.

"Levy!" The blunette turned to look at the counter, smiling as Mira waved at her. Levy quickly made her way over, meeting Mira halfway and laughing as the taller woman pulled her into a tight hug. "How are you doing, dear?" she asked, pulling back to look Levy over fretfully. Levy laughed easily.

"Did you just call me 'dear'?"

"I'm allowed to call you 'dear'; I'm older than you."

"Yeah, by like, 4 years!"

"Levy, really," Mira said, cupping Levy's jaw in her hands and making her meet Mira's concerned gaze. "Are you okay? I've been worried sick."

"I'm fine," Levy reassured, patting one of Mira's hands before pulling them gently away. "It's good to be back, truly."

Mira sighed in relief, beaming at Levy. "Good," she said, giving Levy's shoulders a quick squeeze before pulling her back towards the counter. "I've got a mug of apple cider with your name on it before you start!"

"Need to catch me up on the gossip?" Levy teased.

"Of course!"

Levy let herself be dragged, laughing at Mira's antics. The older woman had this sort of aura around her that made everyone feel good, and Levy was not immune. The waitress ducked under the counter while Levy hopped onto one of the stools by the pastry display, setting her violin by her feet. A steaming mug of apple cider was placed in front of her in only a few moments, and Levy immediately wrapped her hands around the ceramic surface, letting the heat seep into her hands and humming happily.

"So you'll never guess who came in earlier this week," Mira started, leaning against the pastry display with her own mug in hand, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously. Levy grinned.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me," she teased, and Mira grinned.

"Sketchbook Guy with the Really Cute Butt."

"That wasn't the rest of his nickname."

"It is now!" Levy laughed, taking a long sip of her cider. With everything that happened with Kurogane, she had totally forgotten about Mr. Tall, Dark, and Lickable (Wait…). It didn't surprise her in the least that Mira remembered. Hell, Mira probably remembered the birthdays of every guy that flirted with her in high school.

One of the first lessons of Fairy Tail, Laxus had told Levy on her second day performing, was that nothing escaped Mira. Mira Jane knows all.

"So what did Sketchbook Guy want?" Levy asked, leaning against her palm. Once Mira got going, there was no stopping her.

"You, actually," Mira purred. Levy simply quirked her eyebrow skeptically. "No, really! He came in to ask when you'd be performing next!"

"What did you tell him?" Levy asked, trying to keep the curiosity out of her voice. She was not letting Mira back into her love life after the last disaster, no matter how apt her nickname for Sketchbook Guy was.

(Yes, okay, fine, she had looked at his butt last time. Sue her.)

"I told him that you'd be performing at the same time today, and that you were typically free after your performances," Mira said happily, running her fingertip around the rim of her mug. "So he may be showing up today. Hopefully, he'll be wearing that leather jacket again. And those jeans-"

"Mira!" Levy said with a laugh, and Mira shrugged.

"What? I'm just saying, he's very attractive! If you don't scoop him up, I might."

"Aren't you married already? To two men?" When Levy had first learned that Mira was in a happy three-way relationship, it had taken Levy a while to get used to the concept. But then she had seen Mira with both Laxus and their other partner Freed, and the way they interacted with each other was so harmonious that Levy couldn't help but approve. Apparently Mira had dated Freed first, then met Laxus through Freed, and things just fell into place.

They worked better than most of the monogamous relationships Levy had seen over her lifetime, and seeing as she was surrounded by the happiest couples to ever couple, that was saying a lot.

"It's always good to have a backup," Mira sang, and Levy laughed.

"Is she plotting again?" Laxus asked as he came out of his office, slinging one large arm around Mira's waist.

"When isn't she?" Levy said as Mira pouted.

"Oh ye' of little faith," she grumbled, smiling through her pout when Laxus kissed her cheek. Levy smiled at the affectionate display before she slipped off the stool.

"I should go set up," she said, and both Laxus and Mira turned to look at her. By the time she picked up her violin, Laxus was on the other side of the counter, already heading towards the stage. "What're you doing?" she asked, trotting after him. He sat down at a table by the stage, arms folded over his chest. He cut quite the intimidating figure, and if Levy didn't already know that Laxus was a teddy bear under those massive muscles, she may have been frightened.

"I'm just gonna stay right here while you perform" he said gruffly. "Been a while since I actually watched one of your performances."

"You're going to guard me in case Kurogane comes back," Levy said flatly, "aren't you?"

"I don't like that they came into my place of business and made one of my employees feel unsafe."

Levy sighed, knowing he wouldn't budge. She began to set up the stage to her liking, rosining up her bow. "Don't you have work to do?" she asked. Laxus shook his head.

"End of the quarter, Freed would have kicked me out of the office anyways," he told her. "Claims he can't get any work done while I'm around."

"You guys are so married," Levy teased, making Laxus groan loudly. With a few more adjustments to the speakers for her backup track, Levy started.

Her hour and a half passed pretty quietly, with a few requests and rather average tippers. As the minutes passed, Mira's hopeful grin had turned slowly into a frown before heading straight for pout as Sketchbook Guy refused to show up, and Levy amused herself by guessing which expression would come next. Laxus didn't budge for the entire set, glaring intimidatingly at anyone that approached who either wasn't a regular or who looked suspicious in some way.

Which meant everyone, apparently.

"You know they can't _all _be Kurogane, right?" Levy said, sitting on the edge of the stage next to Laxus after she had put her violin back in its case.

"I didn't want to take any chances."

"You scared off two mothers and a man in a wheelchair!"

"Okay," Laxus said quickly, "those weren't on purpose." Levy laughed, covering her mouth to smother her smile when Freed came over, his long green hair pulled back away from his face and a pencil shoved through the messy bun. He was normally extremely put together, but the accountant always looked harried towards the end of the quarter. Levy was pretty sure that Laxus "misplaced" most of the receipts from the quarter just to watch his partner freak out.

"Wonderful job as always, Levy," Freed said, handing Levy the white envelope with her pay. "I've always found your music quite relaxing, and God knows I needed that today," he said, pointedly ignoring Laxus as the bigger man started to laugh. Levy grinned, taking the money and shoving it into her backpack.

"Well it's always a pleasure to play here," Levy said, smiling. "Thanks for watching out for me, Laxus," she sang, wrapping her arms around Laxus's thick neck and giving him a tight hug. His arm wrapped around her waist, giving her a squeeze in return.

"Do you want one of us to walk you home?" he asked, eyebrows bunched together in concern. Levy shook her head, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and picking up her violin case.

"Nah, I'm fine. It's only a ten minute walk anyways," she said, shrugging. "Plus, it's still light out."

"It's okay to ask for help, you know," Freed said, and Levy was hit by the sudden need to get out. She had appreciated that Mira had only asked about her well being before treating her normally, like nothing had happened. Laxus was being over-protective, but quiet, so she could ignore him (not to mention that Laxus made it very obvious that he thought that Kurogane was at fault in the situation). Freed's tone, however, dug into her. She was a victim in his eyes, and she was _sick _of being the victim.

The can of spray paint that she had shoved in her backpack earlier seemed to get heavier.

"I know," she said, walking backwards towards the door. "I'll be fine, guys, really."

"Well… alright," Freed said slowly, pursing his lips in concern. "Just promise me that you won't do anything dangerous," he said firmly, and Levy grinned at him from the doorway.

"You got it, bossman!" she said, snapping off a salute before waving her goodbyes to Mira and Laxus, and heading out the door.

.

.

.

Okay, so she lied.

Levy got out of her car, closing and locking it behind her before shoving her hands in the pockets of her peacoat. The sun had gone down, but there were still a few people skating at the skate park. The basketball court, however, was empty, and Levy slipped easily through the gate before closing it behind her.

There were several lights that shone down on the court, but none at the wall. The mural was thrown into shadow, with only the occasional glimmer of the gold paint from the headlights of a passing car. Levy just stood there, staring at the piece that had taken over her life. She tried to look at it objectively, like it wasn't her that was in the painting. Tried to see what everyone else saw.

The attention to detail was superb - even in the shadows, Levy could make out the dimples and each eyelash. The colors flowed together beautifully, each strand of music and color dancing around each other before disappearing off the wall. And whoever had painted this had made he- the person in the mural, beautiful. She filled up the space around her, all soft cheeks and a glowing smile. She wasn't Levy in that respect, Levy wasn't nearly as ethereal.

That was wholly Magnolia's Blue Lady.

And Levy _hated _her.

Pulling her beanie further down over her head, Levy pulled Kurogane's can of spray paint out of her coat pocket. She shook it as she slowly approached the wall, already mapping the paint's path out with her eyes. Right across the eyes; a thick, heavy line, like a censor bar. Sure, it wouldn't do much to hide the fact that the Blue Lady was actually Levy McGarden - how many blue haired violinists do _you _know? - but to Levy, it was enough.

She rested her finger over the nozzle, carefully squeezing down with the can pointed into the air so she could get the feel of it. The world felt like it was holding its breath in anticipation, and Levy brought the can up…

"Halt!"

Levy jumped, dropping the can and turning to face the source of the yell. Two men in uniform were quickly approaching, and her heart dropped into her stomach. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_! She should have known the cops would have been watching the skate park! And here she was, dressed in all black, caught right as she was about to paint on the wall. Fuck, she was gonna go to jail!

Damn this fucking mural!

The police got to the gate, but when they tried to pull it open, it wouldn't budge. Levy watched, frozen, as they both continued to yank on the door, ignoring her in favor of the gate. Levy was still trying to figure out where to go from here when a large hand wrapped her wrist. She yelped, spinning to face whoever had grabbed her, fully expecting to see another police officer but instead found herself looking at a large man in a hoodie, the baseball hat underneath throwing his features into deep shadows.

"Run," he said with a voice like thunder, and she ran.

He tugged her after him as they sprinted around the corner of the building, ignoring the shouts of the policemen as the man pulled her through a side door that led onto the skatepark. They raced through the park, dodging skaters as they ran. Levy had to push herself almost twice as hard to keep up with his long strides, but whenever she started to fall behind, he would turn and tug urgently on her arm; not too hard, but just enough to get her going again.

It occurred to her that she was following a very large and very strange man out to god knows where, but it was better than getting arrested.

Wow, never thought she'd be thinking that.

They made their way out of the skate park, and Levy turned to run to her car when he tugged on her hand again. "Too close to the cops," he said, and Levy bit her lip. He was leading her away from the skate park, away from the light, but he was absolutely right.

"If you're trying to kidnap me," she started when they began to run again, picking up speed as they heard the cops yelling after them, "I will warn you that I know several ways to kill a man." Well, she'd read about them, anyway.

He laughed, a low rumbling that reverberated in her chest. "Ever implemented them?"

"Not yet, but I've been wanting to try the eye-popping one."

He laughed again, placing his large hand on her back and leading her around the corner. Levy's breathing was starting to get hard, and her legs shook from exertion. She could feel herself slow down, and the man obviously noticed. They only ran for another minute or two before stopping, gasping for breath, in front of a tattoo parlor. The front was well-lit, despite the fact that the store was closed, and Levy could make out the name "Bad Dragon Tattoo Parlor" on the window.

The man fell onto the steps leading to the door, head between his legs as he tried to steady his breathing. Levy flopped down next to him, pulling her arms over her head as she caught her breath, all while keeping an eye on the man. As well-lit as this was, he still was someone she'd never met before. She was untrusting of random men out at 10 p.m on a good day, and this was definitely not one of those.

He sighed, rubbing his hands down his face before pulling his hat and the hood of his jacket off, running long fingers through shoulder-length black hair. He turned to face Levy, grinning, and she gasped.

"Sketchbook Guy?" she asked, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Uh, I guess so?" he said, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes looked red in the odd lighting, and Levy's stomach started to do somersaults. Maybe it was the rescue, but Levy didn't remember Sketchbook Guy being this attractive before, and considering how attracted to him she had been before, that was saying something.

"_You_ saved me?" she managed to choke out, pointing at him incredulously. He nodded, and she let out a breathy laugh, leaning back against the stairs. "Oh, could this night get any weirder?"

"Gajeel!"

Apparently so.

Wendy - of all people - pulled up to the curb in an old beat up Toyota and practically ripped herself out of the driver's seat, eyes wide and blue dreads wild. She ran to Sketchbook Guy's side, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug that he easily returned. "Oh my god, what the _fuck _is wrong with you!?" she seethed, pulling back to slap him upside the head before hugging him again. "You don't just drop everything then take off like a bat outta hell without saying anything, you _ass!" _

"Wendy, I'm fine," he said with a laugh, rubbing her back. "Just had to take care of something."

"Take care of-" Wendy turned her head to look at Levy, who waved sheepishly, before gasping. "Oh my god, it's you!"

"It's me!" Levy said, smiling awkwardly. Wendy looked back and forth between the two before stepping back out of Sketchbook Guy's embrace, fumbling in her pocket for something. Levy watched in confusion as she pulled out a cell phone, fiddling with the screen for a second before holding it up at the two, making the man next to Levy groan.

"Oh god, don't record this-"

"I'm sure Mom would like to see how this whole exchange goes down," Wendy said from behind her phone. "Now, introduce yourself like respectable gentleman."

He groaned again and turned to a confused Levy, holding his hand out towards her. "Gajeel Redfox, at your service," he said, his tone flat and unamused. Levy reached out and took his hand slowly, shooting Wendy a confused look before focusing back on Gajeel.

"Um, Levy McGarden?"

"Nice to officially meet you," he said, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you as well, and um, thank you," she said earnestly, "for helping me back there. I really didn't want to go to jail tonight."

Gajeel looked distinctly uncomfortable now, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "It's the least I could do," he said, "I mean, it is kinda my fault." Levy quirked an eyebrow at him, cocking her head to the side curiously.

"What do you mean?" she asked, and Wendy inhaled sharply. There was a pause before Gajeel looked up at her through several strands of hair that had fallen in front of his face.

"Well, um, you see," he babbled nervously, scratching his cheek. "I'm… the one who painted the mural."

Levy's smile dropped so fast she was sure Wendy could hear it shatter against the pavement.

"I'm Kurogane," Gajeel finished, grimacing. Everyone was silent for a few moments, and then Levy stood silently. Gajeel opened his mouth, but didn't get a chance to ask anything before Levy pulled her arm back and _slapped _him, putting so much force into the single act of aggression that she actually stumbled.

"Oh, that was beautiful," Wendy said with a grin while Gajeel picked himself back up off the pavement, groaning as he rubbed his cheek.

"Yeah, okay, I deserved that one," he said lowly. "Goddamn, how can someone so small hit so hard?"

"WHAT THE _FUCK_ IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Levy screeched, ignoring both of them. Gajeel jumped, looking at her with wide eyes. "Who the _hell _do you think you are, putting _my __**face **_on a goddamn _wall!? _You didn't even _know me!" _She was shaking with fury, all of the rage and upset that she had bottled up for the past two weeks in an attempt not to lash out at her friends rushing out of her. "Did you think I would be impressed? Or _thankful!?_"

"No, that's not why I-"

"I was _terrified!" _Levy yelled, clutching at the fabric over her heart. "I didn't know what it meant, or who had done it, or what they wanted from me, and you- you you you _ASS!" _Levy ripped her beanie off, throwing it at Gajeel's face. He let it hit him, looking down guiltily.

_Good. _

Levy made a strangling motion before yelling unintelligibly, starting to pace on the sidewalk. "You know," she said with a bitter laugh, "I've been trying to figure out who you were for almost two weeks now, and I never thought about what to say to you! I just- I can't-!" She yelled again, pulling at her hair. She clasped her hands together, trying to stop their shaking. How had she not figured it out? He was there at Fairy Tail right before the mural went up, with a sketchbook none the less! Gah, how could she have been so dumb!?

"Hey," Gajeel said lowly, and Levy spun around quickly to glare at him. He was standing now, clutching the beanie in one hand, and if she hadn't been so furious, Levy would have taken a moment to wonder how a person as broad and tall as Kurogane was could look so small.

"If you're gonna try to justify your actions-" she snarled, and he held up a hand.

"Nothing like that," he promised, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just… I'm sorry," he said, and Levy was struck by how earnest he sounded. It made her fury dial down a bit, though she was still pissed. "You're absolutely right, about everything. What I did was wrong, and I'm sorry." He held her beanie out towards her, and after a few moments, Levy took it from him.

"Wendy, can you take her to her home?" he asked, looking at the teenager. Wendy had put her phone away awhile ago, and the humor had gone from her expression.

"I have a car," Levy started, feeling anger bubbling up again, but Gajeel just turned and looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"The police are probably still at the basketball court, and they'll be looking for you," he said calmly. "It's too late out to walk home alone, and I doubt you want to ride with me." Levy stayed silent, and he turned back around. "Meet you back at home, Wen," he said quietly, and Wendy nodded. Both she and Levy watched as Gajeel walked away, head down and hands in his pockets, and it wasn't long until he disappeared into the shadows.

The two blunettes stood in silence for a few moments before Wendy sighed. "Do you want me to take you to Lucy's?" she asked gently, and Levy just nodded. She felt exhausted, the venting of all her fear and anger making her feel empty. She slid into Wendy's Toyota without protest, taking only a moment to buckle herself in and notice the child's seat in the back - obviously for Charle - before leaning against the door, watching Magnolia pass in a blur. Wendy had turned the music down low when she had turned the car on, and it barely registered in Levy's mind.

"I'm sorry," Wendy said suddenly, and Levy turned to look at her with a quirked eyebrow. "For not telling you," she clarified, looking over at Levy when they stopped at a red light. "I knew it was you when we first met, which is why I was so weird. I would have told you, but-"

"He's your brother," Levy said with a tired smile. "I get it."

"I'm really sorry," Wendy said again, looking distressed. "We didn't know what Gajeel had done until Lily saw the mural, and we've been riding his ass about it for the past couple of weeks. He wouldn't tell us why he did it, but I promise you we've all been furious at him. Mom actually yelled at him for a solid hour after she met you."

"Met me?" Levy asked, eyebrows furrowed. Wendy nodded.

"Mom owns that art shop down on 19th," she said, and Levy groaned.

"Voeda?"

"Yeah. She thought you and your friends were cops."

"Fuck," Levy groaned, rubbing her face. It wasn't long after that until they pulled up in front of Lucy's apartment complex, and Levy could see that her friend's lights were still on. She undid her seatbelt and was about to get out when Wendy gently grabbed her forearm, making Levy look back.

"I really am sorry," she said softly. "And you don't have to believe me, but I know Gajeel is tearing himself up over this. Just… take care, okay?"

Levy looked at her for a moment before sighing. "I won't call the cops," she reassured, and Wendy shook her head.

"It's not about that," she said quickly, "though, uh, that would be really nice of you. I just… You don't have to feel unsafe anymore," the younger woman reassured. "If you need anything, anything at _all, _you can ask Natsu and he'll get a message to us. Or if you want us to never come near you again, we can do that too."

Levy squeezed the hand that was laid over hers, nodding at Wendy. "Thanks for the ride," she said gently before slipping out of the car and making her way into the building. She didn't look back to see if Wendy pulled away, just pressed the button to call the elevator and stared at her own reflection in the metal doors. She looked so tired, and Levy felt about ready to collapse where she stood.

Levy barely paid attention to the rest of the trip upstairs, letting muscle memory lead her through the steps, and it felt like only a second had passed before she was knocking on Lucy's door. She could hear laughter beyond the scarred wood, and Lucy was still laughing at someone when she pulled the door open.

"Hello- Levy?" The humor dropped from Lucy's expression in a second, and she immediately wrapped her arms around Levy, pulling the other woman into a tight hug. "Lev, what's wrong?" she asked gently, and it was all suddenly too much. Levy clung onto Lucy as she started to shake, sobbing quietly into her best friend's shoulder as the rest of her bottled-up emotions broke free, leaving Levy lost in their wake.

* * *

So I've gotten a few reviews that have made me think that this author's note is necessary, and I'm honestly a little disappointed that it is. But to everyone who has left a review saying that they either don't understand Levy's negative reaction, or that she should be grateful that someone painted that mural of her...

_Kindly shut the fuck up. _

Since apparently it isn't made clear in the narrative - which seeing as it's almost all Levy thinks about, I don't understand - Levy's not upset by the actual painting or the quality of the art. She's upset because someone she _does not know _put _her face on a wall without her knowledge or consent. _That is basically like going online one day and finding a picture you did not know was being taken of you circulating the internet for everyone in the world to see. Not to mention that Levy wasn't painted with a shirt on, so even though it's cropped above her breasts, that's still _incredibly _invasive.

Again, Levy does _not _know who painted the mural or what their intentions are. Gajeel being Kurogane is one of the better possibilities. For all Levy knew, Kurogane could have been a stalker. She could come home to her apartment (and I'll remind you now that Levy is a 25 year old woman that lives _alone) _to some stranger in her home with some rope and a chef's knife. _She didn't know.__  
_

And that's not even thinking about the fact that the mural is illegal! Someone illegally painted her face on a wall, she could have been arrested! If she were working for anyone else, they could have seen that mural and fired her thinking that she was caught up in illegal activities. Someone else could have seen the mural and found her and then _they'd_ become a stalker. Levy had no control over the situation or her own personal safety, and to say that she should be grateful that someone liked her face so much he painted her on a wall is completely missing the point.

Did you not notice how both Shagotte and Natsu were shot down when they started to say the mural was impressive? Did you miss how everyone in the narrative has been supporting Levy and hasn't questioned why she's so freaked out? _THAT'S THE POINT. _Gajeel doesn't even really show up until this chapter! This is a fic about Levy regaining control of her life after a situation took away her agency. It's not a metaphor for anything, that wasn't the intention, but the point stands that Levy's feelings are completely rational and she is actually responding rather well.

So I ask that those who think Levy is being over dramatic or not thinking rationally to go back and read the fic again with my words in mind. Because I think if you do, and you try to understand it from that point of view, you'll better understand where Levy's coming from.

* * *

_do-fairys-have-tails . tumblr . com_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters, I'm just borrowing them._

* * *

"_Levy, there's someone here to see you._"

Levy jerked out of her thoughts as the voice of the downstairs receptionist came through the phone, making the young woman nearly fall out of her chair. She recovered quickly, and managed to turn her earpiece on with only minimal fumbling.

"Really?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing together.

"_Yeah, were you not expecting someone?" _ Laki said, concern in her voice. Levy's mind immediately jumped to Kurogane, but she quickly shut that thought down.

"Not exactly," she murmured, looking at her computer screen. Shagotte was out at lunch with Charle and her ex-husband, so Levy had a few free hours to herself. She had started by catching up with her brothers on Facebook, but had somehow ended up on Kurogane's page, and had been scrolling through pictures of his art for the past hour.

He really was very good, that at least she could admit.

"_Well, he's heading up now," _Laki continued. "_Let me know when he gets up there, okay?" _Levy could hear the concern in her coworker's voice, and had to smile.

"I will, thank you," she said as she minimized her screen, taking a moment to straighten her blazer. After a few moments, the blunette heard the elevator doors at the end of the hall slide open, and she looked at the door expectantly.

Well, it wasn't Kurogane.

"Is now a good time?" Lily asked, peering around the doorframe with a warm smile. Levy would have recognized Shagotte's boyfriend anywhere, but this was not how she was expecting to meet him for the first time.

"Um, yes!" she said, standing up and moving around her desk. "You're Lily, right?"

"That would be me," he said, coming fully into the room and shaking her hand. Shagotte's picture of him had not done his size justice, and Levy found herself having to crane her neck back just to look him in the eye. "Lily Pardus. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Shagotte has told me so much about you."

"Same for me," she said with a grin. "I'm Levy, but uh, I guess you already knew that, huh?" They both laughed, and Levy felt right at ease. "Shagotte's out of the office right now, is there something I could help you with?" she asked, clasping her hands together.

"Not particularly," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I promised Shagotte that I'd be here to help calm her down after her lunch with Charle and her ex." Levy nodded with a grimace, thinking on all the times Shagotte had come back from talking with Charle's father with murder in her eyes. Levy had quickly learned to stay out of her boss's way and just work as quickly and quietly as possible.

Shagotte was easily the kindest boss Levy had ever had, but her temper could be brutal and quick, and Levy knew to step out of the way of a coming hurricane.

"Well, she should be another hour," the blunette said, looking at her watch. "You're free to stay in her office while you wait, or out here with me?" she trailed off in a question, and Lily smiled. It pulled at the scar that curved around his eye and through his eyebrow, and Levy gave it a quick curious glance before refocusing on Lily. She didn't want to be rude and stare.

"I actually was wondering if I could borrow you for a while?" he asked, and Levy blinked owlishly at him. "There's a cafe downstairs, and I was hoping you'd take a break and join me. God knows you're going to need it if you have to deal with Shagotte when she gets back." Levy laughed and quickly covered her mouth.

"Um, I mean-" she started, feeling panicked at the thought of coming across as rude in front of her boss's boyfriend, but Lily just grinned at her again.

"Don't worry. I, of all people, know what you deal with," he said. Levy smiled sheepishly back at him, and he stepped to her side with a short laugh, holding his arm out towards her. "Shall we?" he offered, and Levy looked back at her computer for a moment. Well, she really could use a break...

"Gimme a second," she said, going around her desk to grab a few dollars from her purse and let Laki know that she was going on break before joining Lily at the door, tucking her hand into his elbow and grinning. "They've got the best muffins down there," she told him as they started towards the elevator, only stopping to lock the door behind her. "My favorite is the chocolate, but my friend swears by the blueberry."

Their conversation was light during the short trip to the cafe, and Levy could easily see why Lily and Shagotte worked so well together. Besides being a perfect gentleman, Lily knew how to hold a conversation and had a quick wit that had shocked Levy into loud giggles more than once.

Not to mention that he was _very_ easy on the eyes. Levy silently congratulated her boss for such a good catch.

Once they had their drinks and pastries - Lily and Levy bonded further over their shared love of black coffee and the horrified reactions of their loved ones - they fell into a companionable silence, each eating at their own pace. Levy was taking a sip from her coffee when Lily spoke back up.

"Levy," he started, setting his scone down, "I have to admit that I haven't been exactly... truthful about my intentions today."

Levy looked up at him with wide eyes, her cheeks full. She swallowed thickly before refocusing on him. "You, uh, haven't?" she asked warily.

"I wanted to come and make sure you were doing alright," Lily said, expression open as he folded his hands together on the tabletop. "I understand that you had a rather... abrasive encounter with my brother a week ago."

Levy's stomach sank. Fuck, right. She had forgotten about Wendy telling her that Lily _and Gajeel_ were her brothers. She carefully set her drink down, taking a deep breath as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I haven't called the police," she said politely, but Lily caught her off-guard by snorting.

"Please, after what that brat did, he deserves some heat from the police," he grumbled, falling back into his seat. "Don't know how he could have grown up in Metalicana's household and still thought that was a good idea. Sting's stupidity has been rubbing off."

"Sting?" Levy asked, and Lily looked up at her like he had forgotten she was there.

"Sorry, went off on a tangent," he said, shaking his head. "Point is, I'm not here for Gajeel. I'm here because we're concerned for you." Levy blinked at him, eyebrows furrowing.

"Who is 'we'?" she asked curiously, and Lily shrugged.

"Wendy, Voeda, Juvia. Natsu's been more concerned about trying to get back in Lucy's good graces, but he's been worried too." Levy grimaced. Once Lucy had found out that the Kurogane they had been searching for was in fact Natsu's cousin, she had been apoplectic. Natsu swore up and down that he hadn't known - "Gajeel's never told me his tag! Said he'd be worried about me coverin' it up if I knew!" - but Lucy wasn't hearing it, and the two had barely spoken in the past week, despite Levy's urgings to not to let her own problems ruin Lucy's relationship.

"Even Metalicana has been asking, and considering he's_ literally _overseas, that's rather impressive." Levy couldn't help but to feel humbled knowing that so many people were worried about her.

"I'm doing okay," she said, looking down at her hands folded together in her lap. "I mean, I've still got questions, but at least I know 'who', right?"

"We all have questions," Lily admitted. "Gajeel's been very tight-lipped about the whole thing."

"If I may ask," the blunette started quietly, "what, um, what are your thoughts on the whole situation?"

Lily considered her for a few moments before taking a long sip of his coffee. "Well, I think that slap was well-deserved," he started with a grin, and Levy groaned.

"Wendy show you the video?"

"Oh yes. Voeda actually cheered when she saw it. You make a rather strong first impression."

Levy groaned again.

"But I know that Gajeel wouldn't have spent all the time and money on that mural if it wasn't something he thought was important," Lily continued.

"You're sure?" Levy asked quietly, looking up at him through her bangs.

"Positive."

They were quiet for a few moments while Levy let her thoughts marinate, picking at her muffin distractedly. She'd been lying if she said that she hadn't been thinking about Gajeel all week. Trying to rationalize his actions, remembering the regretful expression on his face as he walked away from her, separating her fury at Kurogane from her attraction to Sketchbook Guy. He'd starred in her dreams almost every night, all dark skin and burning eyes as he whispered apologies across her skin, and Levy had woken up gasping every time.

But questions haunted her thoughts just as much as he did, if not more, and Levy was sure she was slowly going crazy. Why her? Why a mural? Why...

Why had he looked at her like she could break him that night in front of the tattoo shop?

"How's he doing?" she finally asked, not looking up from her muffin.

"He's been moping," Lily said with a snort. "We've been riding his ass about how wrong what he did was, but I think seeing how it affected you made it really hit home." Levy looked up at him and something in his expression softened. "I know your impression of him isn't stellar, and I haven't exactly been very forgiving either, but Gajeel is... Wendy likes to call him a burnt marshmallow," he said. Levy couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh?"

"Yeah; dark and crusty on the outside, but warm and squishy on the inside." She laughed at that, covering her mouth as her mirth bubbled out of her. When she looked back up, Lily was considering her with a crooked grin.

"What?" Levy asked, suddenly self-conscious. Lily just shook his head.

"Nothing, I just understand what made you stand out to him," he said plainly, and Levy's cheeks burned. "I'm sorry, that was inappropriate-"

"No, it's fine," she murmured, taking a quick sip of her coffee. "Tell me about him?" she asked, looking at Lily hopefully. He grinned, leaning forward to rest his arms on the tabletop.

"What do you want to know?"

.

.

.

Levy looked up at the house Lily's directions had led her to, feeling nerves churning in her stomach. Cars of all sizes and makes lined the street, and Levy had to park almost two whole houses away. An older woman had been on the porch, and when Levy had bashfully asked if she could park in front of her home, she had just grinned and rolled her eyes.

"You with the Redfoxes?" she'd asked, and at Levy's nod, laughed. "Of course, dear. Ain't nothing bad come out of that house yet, 'cept for those Dragneel fellows. What was it, Sting and Nathan?"

She'd still been muttering when Levy had gotten out of the car, her companion looking up at the house dubiously.

"This is Gajeel's house?" Lucy asked in disbelief, and Levy couldn't deny it was a bit shocking. She'd expected something small, maybe a little worn down, but the house in front of them was undeniably_ nice_. Not "Magnolia Gates Mansion" nice, but "small suburban house with a wrap around porch" nice. Levy briefly wondered how a tattoo artist had managed to get a place like this, but that thought was pushed aside when the front door opened.

"You made it!" Wendy exclaimed, racing down the driveway to greet them both with tight hugs. Levy only hesitated a moment before hugging the younger woman back, and when she pulled away, Wendy was beaming. "Almost everyone's already here, and we should probably get inside before Natsu wears a hole in the floor." Lucy snorted before looking at the door wistfully, and Levy smiled. She knew her best friend missed Natsu, and she was already preparing herself to be witness to their overly dramatic reunion.

"Well, let's go save your brother's flooring then," Lucy said loftily, and the two blunettes shared an amused look as she headed into the house. Wendy linked her arm with Levy's as they headed in, her dreads pulled back with a colorful piece of cloth and waterfalling down her back.

"I'm glad you're here," she whispered, and Levy smiled down at her.

"It's time we ended this game of chase, don't you think?" she asked, and Wendy beamed at her. They entered the house just as Natsu scooped Lucy up into a spin, both of them laughing happily. Levy smiled brightly as they came to a stop, foreheads pressed together as they grinned at each other. The rest of the people in the house started cheering, and Levy was struck by the sheer amount of people they had managed to fit into the living room.

Lily and Shagotte were lounging together on the loveseat, Charle gnawing on a pickle in her mother's lap. Mira, Laxus, and Freed were on the couch, and all waved at Levy in greeting. Lily had been the one to tell her that Laxus was a family friend, and at this point, Levy wasn't surprised. The only reason Mira hadn't recognized him was because the only time she and Gajeel had met was during a Halloween party almost a year ago, and so she'd only known him by his size and voice.

It seemed that with every person she met, if they weren't related to Gajeel somehow, they were tied to someone he knew. At this point, she was just grateful that Jet and Droy were both exempt.

There were several men Levy didn't recognize sprawled out on the floor, drinking beers and jeering at Natsu and Lucy, but before Levy could ask, she was getting dragged off by Wendy towards the kitchen.

"Mom!" Wendy called. "Levy's here!" Voeda looked up from the stove, and her smile made Levy instantly feel at home.

"Great!" she said, covering whatever she had been cooking before coming around the island, taking Levy's hands in her own. "It's wonderful to see you again!" Levy couldn't help but smile back.

"Same to you! I'm sorry we met in such a strange way," she said bashfully, and Voeda rolled her eyes.

"Please, if anyone should apologize, it's me," she said. "I'm sorry I lied to you about the paint, it's just-"

"You've got to protect your son, I understand," Levy said, and Voeda smiled. She opened her mouth to say something else when something butted against Levy's calf, making her jump in surprise. When she looked down, the biggest Rottweiler she had _ever_ seen was sitting at her feet, looking up at her and grinning dopily.

"Steel, you goob," Wendy said with a fond roll of her eyes. "He's being unusually well-behaved. He normally just tramples Gajeel."

Levy laughed, scratching Steel behind his ear and grinning as his stumpy tail started to wag so hard his butt wiggled. A little Cocker Spaniel trotted into the kitchen and Wendy immediately scooped the smaller dog up into her arms. "That's Gajeel's dog, and this one is Lily's dog, Coco," she said, and Levy nodded.

"How'd a big softy like you get a name like Steel?" Levy cooed, dropping to her knees once she was sure the huge dog wouldn't jump on her, rubbing his back and sides and laughing as he started to cover her face in kisses.

"Gajeel found him behind the shop as a puppy," Voeda said fondly. "He was hoping for a guard dog, but spoiled the little thing sweet."

"Little?" Levy asked with a grin, gently pushing Steel away from her face so she could look up at Voeda.

"Well, he used to be."

Levy was still laughing when one of the men from the floor came in, nodding his greeting to Voeda and resting his chin on the top of Wendy's head. "Someone needs to stop Sting and Laxus before they put a hole in Gajeel's wall," he said dryly, and Voeda frowned.

"I thought Erik was in charge of keeping them from butting heads."

"Cobra's three sheets to the wind and Lil' refused to stoop to their level to bring them back up."

"For god's sake, it's like I'm raising toddlers," Voeda grumbled, wiping her hands off on the front of her jeans. "Rogue, watch the chili, will you?"

"Yes ma'am," the man said, one corner of his lip quirking up as he saluted at the older woman. She walked back out into the main room, already barking out orders, and Steel jumped at the sound of her loud voice, burying his face in Levy's stomach with a whine. "Whatta baby," Rogue said fondly, patting the dog's back as he passed, lifting the cover of the chili and giving it a quick stir. "So you're the woman of the hour?" he asked, and Levy looked up from trying to comfort Steel.

"Excuse me?"

"You're the Blue Lady," he said, his expression carefully controlled but his voice betraying his curiosity. He had the same black hair and red eyes as Gajeel, and if his skin wasn't so pale, she would have thought them brothers.

"And you're the family vampire," she replied, one eyebrow quirked in a silent challenge.

Wendy snorted loudly behind Levy before laughing, and Rogue nodded. "Well played," he said, grinning now. Levy shrugged, grinning back. "Better go steal Laxus's spot on the couch before Voeda gets him to let Sting out of that headlock," he said, nodding towards the door, and Levy stood carefully. Steel stayed close to her, and something about the dog's behavior made Rogue shake his head, still grinning as he looked back at the chili.

"I'm gonna go try to coax Cloud out from my room," Wendy said, setting Coco down. Levy followed her out of the kitchen, waving a goodbye to Rogue, and headed into the living room. Laxus did, in fact, have a blond man in a headlock, but both men were looking at the floor as Voeda chastised them. Levy hopped over the back of the couch, bouncing as she settled into Laxus's spot.

Mira turned and quirked her eyebrow. "Sneak," she accused fondly, and Levy grinned at her as Steel attempted to put his head in her lap.

"Always," she said cheekily, and Mira's laughter rang through the room like bells.

With Voeda's help, Levy managed to get the rest of the introductions done in a fairly sane manner, and when Wendy came back out with a fluffy white cat curled around her shoulders, she answered whatever questions Levy had.

"Igneel is Natsu's dad and his sister-in-law is Sting's mom," Wendy explained, pointing to the dark man whistling as he watched the grill. "Igneel is Metalicana's brother, and my birth mom, Grandine, was their sister."

"What happened?" Levy asked.

"Car accident when I was two," Wendy said, pointing to the photo of a tall, dark woman with a calm smile that rested on the mantle.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Levy said earnestly, and Wendy shrugged, earning herself a _mraow_ of protest from her cat.

"Uncle Iggy and Dad tell me enough about her that I don't really feel like I've missed out, and I've got Voeda," she said, smiling at her adoptive mother. "Granny Porly tells me stories too. She couldn't make it tonight; she had a surgery to do and hates dealing with the Bad Dragons."

Levy quirked her eyebrow. "Bad Dragons?" she asked, and Wendy nodded.

"Cobra, Sting, Rogue, and Gajeel," she explained. "They all work at the Bad Dragon Tattoo Shop. That place where you slapped the stupid out of Gajeel?"

Mira and Freed snorted with laughter, and Levy hid her face in Steel's fur. "I remember," she muttered, pouting at Mira when she patted her back.

"But yeah, Rogue is Voeda's nephew, and Cobra's just kind of been adopted at this point."

"And you and Lily live here with Gajeel?" Lucy asked from where she was curled up with Natsu, joining in the conversation.

"Yup!" the younger woman chirped. "I moved in when I started high school since Gajeel lives closer to the school than Mom, and Lily moved in when he came back stateside."

"It was supposed to be temporary," Lily chided, grinning at Wendy.

"Gajeel and I didn't want to give him up," Wendy admitted to Levy, making her giggle.

"You sabotaged my apartment viewings."

"Eh, semantics."

"I'm going to steal him eventually," Shagotte teased, earning her a gasp.

"Don't you dare!" the young woman said overdramatically, making the room ring with laughter.

The front door slammed closed, and both Wendy and Levy turned to watch the front hallway. "Why is it that whenever I invite one of you over for dinner, you _all_ come?" a voice rumbled from the front, and Levy could feel Steel perk up.

"Because your mom cooks better than the guys at Burger King?" Sting called, and a shoe sailed through the air and smacked him between the eyes.

"Screw off, Jitterbug!" Gajeel said with a grin as he walked into the hallway. Levy's breath caught at the sight of him, and she could practically _feel_ Mira plotting next to her. He was smiling brightly, pushing some of his hair out of his eyes as he walked in, and Levy's throat went dry. Why was it that he only got more attractive every time she saw him? It wasn't fair.

His t-shirt clung to his torso, and she was so distracted by the attractive bunching of his muscles that she almost missed the two women that came in behind him. "Did y'all start drinking without me?" the brunette behind Gajeel whined, pouting at the Bad Dragons as they wiggled their drinks at her teasingly.

"Snooze you lose, Alberona!"

"Says the guy sprawled out on the floor after what, half a beer?" Levy snorted a laugh, grinning at the tanned man that was, in fact, sprawled out on the floor. He lifted one hand and showed the brunette his middle finger, which only made her laugh. The blunette next to her smiled fondly, and Levy figured that she must be Juvia, and that the stunning brunette that was already asking for a beer was Cana. She looked familiar, but Levy couldn't seem to recall if they had met before.

"Where'd Steel run off to?" Gajeel ask, shoving his keys in his back pocket as he looked around. "Did one of you lock him in my room?"

"He's with Levy," Lily said calmly, and Levy had just managed to school her expression into one of calm curiosity when Gajeel, eyebrows furrowed together, turned and met her eyes.

He physically recoiled at the sight of her, stumbling half a step back as he looked at her with wide eyes. She just quirked her head at him, ignoring the curious looks from the women behind Gajeel. There was unabashed fear and guilt in his eyes, and Levy felt her expression soften. If she hadn't believed Lily or Wendy when they told her how sorry Gajeel was, she believed it now.

Whatever spell that had lingered between herself and Gajeel was broken when Steel hopped up on her lap, barking happily at his master. The air left Levy in a _whoosh_, and she laughed breathlessly.

"Oh my god, you are so heavy!" she gasped out, sticking her tongue out at the Rottweiler when he turned to pant at her, laughing when he started licking her face again. A whistle came from the front entryway and Steel immediately hopped off of Levy's lap. She managed to catch her breath and look back up in time to see Steel happily try to shove his nose in his master's crotch. She giggled as Gajeel tried to shove Steel away, chastising his dog, and when he looked up, she just smiled.

It took Juvia calling his name twice and Cana knocking her hip against his to make Gajeel look away from her, and Levy blushed shyly as she looked away as well. Coco yipped at her, and Levy pulled the smaller dog into her lap as she heard Gajeel bark Lily's name. Lily looked at her and grinned nervously before standing, and Levy shrugged with a sheepish smile. Lily had been the one to invite her to this family get together after their chat at the cafe. She had accepted, wanting answers to her lingering questions.

And yeah, she wanted to see Gajeel again. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him.

"I'm guessing my being here wasn't something Gajeel was expecting?" Levy asked Wendy as she rubbed Coco's ears, the smaller dog cuddling into her lap happily.

"Lily and I may have forgotten to mention it," she admitted, tugging on one of her dreads nervously. Cloud batted at one lazily, but Wendy didn't notice.

"Did you do it just to see his reaction?"

"Maybe?"

"WENDY!" Gajeel yelled from the kitchen, where he had apparently dragged Lily off to, and the younger woman grimaced.

"Have fun," Levy said teasingly, wiggling her fingers at the retreating young woman. Wendy looked back at Voeda once for support, but the older woman just grinned and quirked her eyebrow.

Levy didn't bother trying to listen in on their conversation, and instead focused on the two women who suddenly appeared on either side of her, leaning over the back of the couch.

"So you're Levy?" Juvia asked, smiling brightly. Her blue eyes were practically sparkling, and Levy couldn't help but smile back.

"That'd be me," she said with a shrug. "You must be Juvia!"

"Yes!" she said happily, shaking Levy's outstretched hand. "This is my partner, Cana," she said, and the brunette rolled her eyes fondly.

"We're girlfriends, doll, not co-stars in a buddy cop movie," she said. Cana looked at Levy with a thoughtful purse of her lips, quirking her head. "Man, you look really familiar," she said, pouting. "Did we drink together or something? It's gonna drive me crazy."

"Not that I can think of," Levy said with a shake of her head. Cana hummed again.

"Wait, did you go to Fiore High? I used to go by Cana Clive," she asked, and Levy lit up.

"Cana From Biology?" she asked, and Cana smiled brightly.

"Holy shit, Baby Blue!" she said, taking Wendy's spot on the edge of the seat and ignoring Charle's loud protests about Cana's dirty mouth. "Didn't think I'd see you again!" The two laughing women hugged, making Coco yelp from Levy's lap. "Small world!"

"You have no clue," Levy groaned, making Cana laugh. "I just found out that almost everyone I know is somehow related to the same dude who painted me on a wall."

"That was you Gajeel painted?" Cana asked, eyes wide. Levy nodded, rolling her eyes.

"It's a long story," she said, and before Cana could ask to hear it, Igneel came through the sliding glass door, holding a plate of freshly cooked meat. Nearly everyone stood up at once (was Sting drooling?) as they followed the meat into the kitchen. Levy smiled as they went, and when a hand landed in her hair, she looked up to see Cana grinning at her.

"Fun group, ain't it, Baby Blue?" she said, and Levy smiled brightly.

"They're growing on me," she admitted, and Cana laughed before tugging her up, leaning over to plant a kiss on Juvia's lips before pulling them both into the packed kitchen.

* * *

_do-fairys-have-tails . tumblr . com_


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters, I'm just borrowing them._

* * *

It was amazing what food could do to a rowdy group of people. Most of the men were asleep, sprawled together in a pile on the floor, leaving the women to chat. Levy was relaxing on the couch with a napping Charle curled up in her arms, sitting next to Shagotte. She was barely paying attention to the conversation, instead trying to sneak looks through her hair at the man who had sprawled out across the loveseat, distractedly petting the dog that laid curled up by his hand.

Gajeel had barely said one word to her the whole afternoon, instead looking at her like a spooked deer whenever they were in the same room before quickly looking away. Levy could practically feel the frustration rolling off of Lily, Wendy, and Voeda, but Levy was kind of grateful. She still wasn't sure what she would say to him when he did talk to her, and she was afraid that she'd just stammer and stare at him.

But the point stood that she _did_ want to speak to him. She just wasn't sure how.

Mira tried to pull her back into the conversation by asking Levy a quick question, and when Levy had answered and tried to go back to spying on Gajeel, she almost jumped when her eyes met his. Gajeel quickly looked away, and Levy could see the tips of his ears turn red. After a few moments, he stood up, barely avoiding stomping on Natsu's hand.

He quickly walked down the hallway with Steel trotting after him happily, both disappearing into one of the rooms, and Levy didn't even bother hiding that she was watching him. He stopped in the door, one hand gripping the door frame like a lifeline, before looking over at her again. Their eyes met for a few seconds, but then he was gone, hidden behind a closed door.

Sighing, Levy turned back to face the other women, and blushed when she found them all staring at her. "What?" she murmured, careful not to wake Charle.

"Aren't you going to go after him?" Mira asked, and Levy's cheeks burned as the other women started muttering in agreement.

"Do you think I should?" she asked.

_"Yes,"_ Voeda, Wendy, and Juvia said in unison.

"He's just gonna sulk in there until you're gone otherwise," Wendy muttered. Cana snorted.

"You mean Gajeel has settings other than _Sulk_ and _Dweeb_?" she asked, making Juvia giggle.

Levy wasn't paying attention anymore, running her fingers through Charle's hair as she thought. A smooth hand laid over hers, and she looked up to see Shagotte smiling at her. "I think you both deserve some closure," she said gently, taking her daughter from Levy's lap, "don't you?"

Levy looked over at Lucy, and her friend simply smiled, gesturing with her head towards the hall. After a few seconds, Levy stood up smoothly, walking towards the door Gajeel disappeared behind before she could change her mind. She ignored the muttering of the women in the other room as she stopped before his door, running her fingers through her hair and straightening her t-shirt before knocking quietly.

"Wen, I'm not coming out," a low voice rumbled from the beyond the door, and Levy swallowed.

"It's not Wendy," she said quietly. The voice on the other side of the door went silent, and Levy was starting to think about running back to her car when the door slid open a bit. Steel slid past her, stopping for a quick scratch behind the ear before racing towards the guys' sleep pile, but Levy didn't wait to see the collision.

She just slipped into the room, pulling the door gently shut behind her.

Gajeel was sitting on the edge of the bed that she assumed was his, watching her like an animal he expected to attack at any moment. Levy just leaned back against the door, hands in her back pockets. She looked around his room, only mildly surprised at the cleanliness after seeing the rest of his home. There was a set of shelves lining one wall, lined with crate after crate of spray paint. Levy pointed towards them with a small nod.

"I think I lost one of your cans of paint," she admitted sheepishly. "That night with the police."

"Don't worry," he said, keeping his voice low. "Didn't really use that color much anyways." The silence that hung around them was awkward, and Levy felt ready to squirm out of her skin. She was about to say something when she noticed a large bucket of paint pushed against the wall. When she went over to investigate, ignoring the man watching her, she frowned.

"What's this for?" Levy asked, kneeling next to the buckets of paint. There was a glob of paint on top marking the color, and she couldn't help but think that the cold gray felt very out of place next to the colorful spray cans that lined the wall.

"Um, it's a primer paint," Gajeel said, gesturing to the buckets. "It's used to cover stuff up."

Levy's head snapped up to look at him, and he jumped a bit. "You're going to cover it?" she asked, and he nodded slowly.

"I… That's what you want, right?" he asked and Levy didn't have an answer for him. She looked back at the bucket, running her fingers around the rim. "It's up to you," Gajeel muttered, looking away from her awkwardly.

Taking a deep breath, Levy pushed herself up, going to sit next to him on the bed. He tensed up at her close proximity, and Levy snorted. "Oh stop, I'm not going to hit you again," she said with a roll of her eyes, and Gajeel snuck a cautious look at her.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Thank god," he muttered, slumping with relief as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You hit _hard."_

Levy giggled, and something in the general area of her heart warmed up when he grinned shyly at her. His eyes landed on the spray cans, and the grin dropped off his face, leaving them stuck in another awkward silence. She pressed her hands between her knees, looking at her feet as she tried to figure out what to say.

"So, uh," Gajeel started, pulling Levy from her thoughts. "Would it be redundant for me to apologize again?"

"Pretty much everyone we know has apologized for you," Levy admitted with a sheepish grin. "I think you're good."

"Bunch'a fuckin' meddlers," he grumbled, covering his face. Levy just grinned, leaning back on her hands. "So, uh, what did you come in here for, then?" Gajeel asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes. Levy shrugged.

"Closure. Answers," she said, not meeting his eyes. "I dunno, something."

"Well then," Gajeel said, mirroring her pose, "ask away."

Levy pursed her lips in thought for a few moments. "Alrighty then, first question," she said seriously. "Do you tip all violinists as well as you tipped me? Because you can tell a lot about a person by how they tip." Gajeel snorted, looking at her like he was trying to hold in his mirth. She looked back at him seriously, trying to control her own grin, and he burst into laughter. The tension seemed to melt away as his deep laugh rumbled through the room, and Levy found herself smiling.

"Um, I do tip," he said once he had calmed down, still chuckling, "not normally that well, though. That was a special occasion."

"Wow, I was that good?" she teased.

"It was more, uh, compensation," Gajeel said, the humor slowly leaving his face. Levy quirked her head curiously, and Gajeel pushed himself off the bed, searching through his desk. After a few moments, he came back over with a sketchbook in his hands. There were doodles and caricatures all over the cover, and she could see different lists and notes written on the back. Gajeel was holding it carefully, like he was afraid it'd fall apart in his hands.

He held it out towards her, and Levy looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow. "Here," he said, holding it closer to her. She took it carefully, very aware of how important it was that he was handing her his sketchbook. Levy had been friends with a few art students in college, and she knew that having someone let you look through their sketchbook was the ultimate sign of trust. Opening the cover with all the care she would show her favorite book, Levy started to flip through it.

Looking through Gajeel's Facebook page (which now that she knew them better, she suspected was run by Wendy) hadn't prepared her for this. He was a great artist, with a great eye for detail and value. He seemed to use every medium under the sun, from pencil to pen to paint. There were ticket stubs and various pictures shoved between pages, some drawn over and some ripped in various places. His subject matter changed with almost every page as well. Some pages were just full of mindless doodles and lines, some looked like tattoo designs, and there were random drawings of different people. She only recognized a few, and the rest all looked like strangers that had just happened to catch Gajeel's eye.

Gajeel had sat down in front of her, watching her reactions carefully. "Gajeel, these are amazing," she breathed, looking at him through her bangs. He motioned for her to keep going, and after a few moments, she looked back down at the sketchbook. She kept flipping, stopping every now and again to admire a sketch, but one page stopped her dead.

It was her. It was only a rough sketch, but she recognized the outfit she had been wearing that day at Fairy Tail and the mass of curls that was undeniably hers. She looked up at Gajeel with wide eyes, but he was staring at her feet. She looked back at the sketchbook, turning the page slowly.

More sketches of her; her hands, her smile, her violin. Different features filled up the page, and Levy was unsure of how to feel.

"When my dad taught me how to draw," Gajeel said quietly, still not looking up at her, "he told me that a good artist catches the person's personality in the drawings. That if you don't, you don't have a portrait, you just have a doodle."

Levy turned to the next page, unable to look away, and found a more finished sketch. It was of her sitting on the edge of the stage, smiling and holding onto a mug. "This was when I was talking to Mira," she said softly, her fingers hovering over the drawing, scared to touch it and possibly smear the careful shading. She felt like she was staring at the mural all over again, only this time, looking at her own face frozen in a happy smile and looking too beautiful to possibly be her didn't fill her with dread. A warm feeling bubbled in her chest, and she wondered if this was genuinely how Gajeel saw her. All warm smiles, soft curves, and golden light.

The thought made her heart flip traitorously in her chest.

"Worked on that damn thing for an hour," Gajeel said, rubbing his cheek as he smiled ruefully. "Every time I thought I had pinned you down, you did something unexpected. Like that Wonderwall thing?"

Levy groaned, covering her face with one hand and peeking at him between her fingers. "You remember that?" she asked sheepishly, and he grinned.

"Kind of hard to forget. You didn't get to see their faces when you started playing, it was _beautiful."_

Levy giggled, looking back at the sketch. It really was amazing, he caught her so well. She could practically hear the background noise of the cafe and feel the warmth of Mira's apple cider against her fingers. "It looks good to me," she said with a shrug, but Gajeel shook his head.

"It's flat, it's not… It wasn't who I thought you were," he said. "You refused to fit on the page," Gajeel admitted, and Levy felt her breath catch in her chest.

He shrugged, looking up at her shyly. "I wanted to make you big," Gajeel said.

Levy stared at him with wide eyes as she tried to restart her heart, watching as he squirmed.

"I understand that that doesn't make it better," he rambled after she didn't respond. "I mean, I did paint you in a public place without your consent, and I can't justify that because quite honestly I'm not really sure why I did it, I just couldn't _not_ and that just sounds worse and if you want me to cover it up I will and please just say somethin-"

Levy didn't quite know when she had moved to the floor, or when she had put the sketchbook down. All she knew was that he was talking too much and he was about two seconds away from killing the moment, so she did the first thing she could think of to shut him up.

She grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged him close, pressing her lips against his.

Well, it certainly shut him up.

Gajeel tensed up under her lips, and when Levy slowly pulled away, he was staring at her with wide eyes. She realized that she was kneeling in front of him, leaning between his knees to get to his face. Even when he was seated and she was on her knees, they were almost the same height.

"I'm sorry," she said breathlessly, pushing herself away but keeping her hands on his chest. "That was uncalled for."

"You don't have to apologize for that," Gajeel said, his voice as breathy as hers was. "But uh, what was that for?" She smiled shyly, shrugging.

"Felt right?" she offered, and he chuckled, reaching up to cover her hands with one of his.

"So I take it I'm forgiven?"

"Don't cover the mural," she said with a laugh, and leaned in to kiss him again.

This time he kissed her back, his hands going to her waist to support her. Her fingers tangled into his hair, and he made a noise in the back of his throat that made her grin. He was the one to pull away this time, staying close enough that Levy could feel his breath.

"But seriously, don't try this again," Levy said suddenly, pulling back to look at Gajeel. "If you wanted to get to know me or whatever, you could've asked me for my number." He smiled sheepishly up at her.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, and she snorted a laugh, letting her forehead rest against his. His hand cupped the back of her neck, his thumb brushing her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. The blunette smiled softly at him, and he looked at her with something she thought was awe.

"You are something else," he told her, and Levy blushed.

"In a good way, right?"

"Yes, very," he said, grinning. For a man with such strong features, it was amazing how his smile could make everything about him soften. "May I?" Gajeel asked, glancing down at her lips before looking at her hopefully. Levy laughed, shaking her head fondly.

"You don't have to ask permission, you goob!" she teased, and the tips of his ears burned.

"Do you remember how hard you slapped me last time I didn't ask for your permission to do something?" he asked her incredulously, and Levy bit down on her lower lip to keep from laughing too hard. "I'll stick with asking, if it's all the same to you." Giggling, she nodded her consent, and Gajeel grinned before tugging her closer. Levy's surprised yelp was cut off by him kissing her, and she melted against the curve of his torso.

He touched her like he was trying to commit her body to his memory, cradling the curve of her hips in his large palms as he kissed the sense right out of her, tracing the line of her back and running his fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck. It was all she could manage just to hang on, arms wrapped around his neck and fingers digging into his shoulders as he gently tugged on her lower lip, making her gasp and tremble. She hadn't even realized he'd moved them until she felt the edge of his bed against the back of her skull and felt the flat planes of his hips against the inside of her leg.

When Levy opened her eyes and found Kurogane looming over her, panting and looking at her like she was every bit as beautiful as the Blue Lady, she couldn't find an ounce of fear in her. She just tugged him back down, arching into him and purring low in her throat.

Just as Gajeel's lips found the curve of her jaw and Levy was considering asking him to move this _delightful_ activity to his bed, there was a yelp and the sound of something smacking hard against his door. They both jumped, breaking apart quickly like Charle was about to rush in and start yelling at them about propriety. Levy could feel the blood rushing to her face, and knew that her reddened cheeks were probably clashing horribly with her hair.

There was muffled cursing and loud shushing from the other side of the door, and Gajeel's expression shifted quickly from guilt and embarrassment to fury in a second. "_NATSU!_" he roared, scrambling to his feet and rushing for the door. Levy heard several voices yell "RUN!" and she wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow her whole when she realized that at least half the household had been eavesdropping on their earlier conversation, and more recent lack-of.

Gajeel ripped the door open, slingshotting himself out into the hallway as he cursed so loudly Levy was sure the air was turning blue. She could hear what sounded like a stampede crashing through the house, Steel barking happily as he chased them around, and suddenly she couldn't help but laugh.

When Shagotte and Lucy peeked into the room, obviously wanting to see what had Gajeel so flustered, Levy was rolling around on the floor, clutching her stomach as tears of mirth ran down her cheeks.

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	7. Epilogue

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters, I'm just borrowing them._

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There was a tiny cafe on Main Street that seemed to have the magical ability to be whatever you needed it to be. For most, it was a small cafe where the coffee always flowed, the pastries were always warm, and the company was even more so. To Levy, it was like a home away from home, a safe haven where she could leave the hassles of the week at the door and just relax with her violin and some good friends.

But right now, Fairy Tail was mostly a way for people to get out of the snowstorm raging outside.

Levy shivered almost violently every time someone came rushing in, shaking snow out of their hair and clambering for some of Laxus's hot chocolate (a secret family recipe he hadn't even shared with Mira or Freed, apparently). The blunette had figured her comfiest long-sleeved shirt and some skinny jeans would have been enough to keep the chill away, but apparently, she was wrong.

Dropping her shoulders, Levy took a break as she tried to work the feeling back into her cramped fingers, hissing as the blood started flowing back in the hand that had been clutching her bow. She was about to start playing again when a mug of hot chocolate appeared in front of her, now-familiar tattoos peeking out from under the person's jacket.

"Break time?" Levy asked with a crooked smile, looking through her eyelashes at the man in front of her.

"Boss's orders," Gajeel said very officially, making her giggle as she set her violin back in its case. "Laxus said that the draft from the door hits the stage head on, so I am to drag you to a table for some muffins and hot chocolate, ASAP." His eyebrow quirked rakishly. "He said I could use force if necessary," he purred, and she laughed, smacking his chest as she hopped off the stage.

"Play nice, there's kids here," Levy said, and Gajeel just smiled wider, swooping down to press a quick kiss to her temple.

"Come on, Shorty," he said, ignoring her grumbled protests at the nickname as he nudged her towards the corner table that had affectionately been claimed as his own. "I got your favorite," he promised, and the grumbles ceased.

"If you keep bribing me with baked goods, I'm gonna get fat."

"You weigh less than my dog, I think you're fine."

Levy slid into her chair, taking the offered drink with a smile and a "Thank you." She took a long sip and let the warm liquid work its way through her body. A heavy arm draped around the back of her chair, and she immediately leaned into his side.

"Mira's giving us a Look," Gajeel muttered, and Levy snorted into her mug. Even after they had made up almost three months ago (and made out, shush), Mira had dragged Gajeel off into the depths of his house to scold him for his mural stunt. Gajeel had been terrified of the woman ever since, something that amused Levy to no end.

"She's probably planning our wedding as we speak," she whispered conspiratorially, and Gajeel shuddered.

"No way in hell is she allowed to plan our wedding," he grumbled, and Levy watched with an amused smile as his words sunk in and his ears turned red. "Um, wait, that came out wrong," he started, but the damage had already been done.

"Only dating for three months and you're already planning for our wedding," she teased, watching as his blush moved to the top of his cheeks. "My, what would your mother say?"

"Just eat your damn muffin," the larger man whined, and Levy laughed. She tugged on the front of his shirt, and grumbling, Gajeel leaned down closer to her, looking at her with a kicked-puppy look that matched the one Steel gave her whenever she refused to cuddle with him. Levy took a moment to admire him; the way some strands of hair fell in front of his eyes, his dark lips pursed in a pout, and the way his piercings caught the light when he scrunched his nose at her. Her smile grew and she finally closed the distance, pressing her lips to his in a quick kiss.

"Thanks for the muffin," she said with a soft smile, and he grinned.

"Can I provide, or _can I provide?" _he said with a shrug, smirking. She whapped his chest again, sending him into fits of laughter as she finally took a bite of the chocolate muffin. She ate in comfortable silence, still leaning into his chest as his fingers traced the curve of her shoulder blade through her shirt. If someone had told her that this is where she'd be at the beginning of the new year - sitting with the man that had gone from an attractive stranger, to the orchestrator of several weeks worth of fears and worries, to her loving goof of a boyfriend - Levy would have thought them crazy.

But as Gajeel stole bits of her muffin and snuck kisses to her cheek, she thought that this was a kind of insanity she could get on board with.

"How's the moving going?" Levy asked once her muffin was done, looking up at Gajeel curiously. He shrugged.

"Pretty well," he said. "Lily says he should have all his stuff at Shagotte's by the end of the week, so Wendy and I will have an extra guest room."

"Bet you two hate that," Levy teased, and Gajeel just grumbled. "Aww, is someone grumpy that his big brother is leaving the nest?" she cooed, and Gajeel cut his eyes at her.

"I will never get you muffins again," he threatened.

"Yes, you will~"

"Yes, I will."

Levy laughed, finishing off her hot chocolate before standing up, stretching her arms over her head and grunting as her spine realigned, shaking her arms out and rolling her neck. "I've got another 45 minutes, and then we can head out," she said, and Gajeel nodded.

"You bring a jacket or something?" he asked, looking at the stage with a concerned frown.

"Didn't think I'd need one," she admitted sheepishly. A few moments later, she stumbled a bit as a warm bundle of fabric was shoved into her arms. She held it out, watching as it unfolded and revealed the paint splattered hoodie her boyfriend had been wearing just a few seconds ago.

"Here," he said, his ears red as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "You need it more than I do." Levy beamed at him, and his blush got worse.

God, he was so cute. Had she really ever been scared of him?

"You're the best!" she sang, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before pulling the hoodie on. It was huge on her, the sleeves coming down past her fingertips and the hem hanging to mid-thigh, but it was also wonderfully warm and smelled of paint, coffee, and Gajeel's soap. She cuddled into it with a happy giggle, and when she looked up Gajeel was watching her with that soft smile he reserved only for her. Her heart skipped a few beats, and she felt her own cheeks grow warm.

"Go get up there before I decide to keep you here instead," he threatened with a smirk, pushing gently on her hip until she started moving.

"Fine, _fine, _sheesh," she said overdramatically. "Pushy!"

"Only for you, Shorty!"

"Asshole," she grumbled under her breath, unable to keep the wide grin off her face. She caught Mira's eye as she walked back to the stage, and Mira gave her a teasing grin and a wiggle of her eyebrows that had Levy's cheeks flushing.

The blunette had to roll up the sleeves of Gajeel's hoodie in order to play, but she never entertained the thought of taking it off. It certainly kept her warmer, and she just flat out liked stealing his clothes (it was definitely A Thing, and Levy lived for the annoyed look on Gajeel's face when he found his clothes in her laundry). When she snuck a look at him, he had already pulled his sketchbook out, occasionally looking up at the older pair of women chatting next to him before getting back to work.

As she continued to look around, she was surprised to see another young man with a sketchbook, working diligently from the counter. Over the past three months she'd gotten good at being able to spot who someone was sketching, and Levy was surprised when the young man glanced up at her. He didn't notice her looking him, and went right back to drawing. Levy looked back over at Gajeel to find him already staring at the other man, an amused smile on his face. They shared a look and Gajeel rolled his eyes, making her giggle.

The rest of her time passed quickly, and when Levy wasn't focusing on her music she and Gajeel were making faces at each other and occasionally at Mira or Laxus. The young artist kept sketching her, and she amused herself by his look of frustration whenever she moved. When Gajeel had shared his story about the events of that fateful day with her, he had mentioned that the fact that Levy was constantly moving while she performed was the most annoying part of the afternoon. It still made her grin just thinking about it.

When she finished, Gajeel was already packed up and ready to go, leaning against the stage. "Want your hoodie back?" Levy asked as she packed her stuff up, but he shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine," he reassured.

Levy was putting away her portable speakers when her tip jar jingled, and she could practically feel the amusement rolling off of Gajeel as she turned and watched the artist from earlier put a few bucks in the jar. He grinned at her, and she smiled in response.

"You're very talented," he said, and Levy's grin got wider.

"Thank you very much," she said happily, and he nodded. He seemed to debate about something before pulling his sketchbook out of his bag, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Um, I probably should had asked first-" Levy gave Gajeel a Look "- but I hope if it's okay that I drew you. You've got a lot of really great lines." He blanched. "That sounded like a cheesy pick line, shit, I'm sor-"

"It's fine!" Levy reassured as Gajeel started laughing. "I'm used to it from this one," she said, jerking her thumb at Gajeel as he pulled the corner of his sketchbook out of his own bag, showing it to the other artist. "Just do me a big favor?" she asked, and she had the young artist's full attention.

"Yeah, sure!" he asked, and Levy grinned.

"Don't go and put my face on a wall, okay?"

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_Holy shit this behemoth is actually done. Holy fuckin shit **yes! **This fic has been in the works for nearly 8 months, not including the month that was spent just talking about it to anyone that would listen. It's the first multi-chapter fic I've finished in **years, **and I couldn't be happier to see it finished and out in the world!_

_Shout outs to the people who helped make this fic possible! Firstly, thank you to **professor-maka **on tumblr, who was my incredible beta. Without her this fic would have been a right mess, and she not only pointed out bad grammar and misspellings, but she helped me get my mojo back when I was stuck. Her words of encouragement meant a lot, and she was just generally a great beta. Thank you so much!_

_Now I've talked about her before, but I want to thank **pansariri,**__or **lionus **here on ffNet, again for just being awesome. She's the person I go to when I'm stuck and just need to bounce ideas around until I've got something workable. She's insanely talented, wickedly (and I do mean wicked, ya butt) funny, and just in general a great friend. I probably would have given up halfway through on this fic if it weren't for her. Thanks for everything, Hayli, you're amazing!_**_  
_**

_A big thank you to everyone who's reviewed, faved, or followed this fic! You guys are the best, and I really hope that you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it! __My next big fic is already in the works, but it's probably going to be a while before it sees the light of day. All I'll say is that it's going to be even longer than this one, and there's going to be a shit ton more Gajevy. They actually meet before the last two chapters lol. But until then, I'm going to try and keep updating "Make Your Nest and Lay In It" and "To the Waters and the Wilds", and maybe some other shorter fics. Who knows? There might be a sequel for this fic hidden in my brain somewhere~_

_Again, thank you so much for reading!_

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